7s- 


BY    LEO    E.    MILLER 


THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 
THE  HIDDEN  PEOPLE 
IW  THE  TIGER'S  LAIR 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 


UNIT.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS  ANGELES 


Here  where  he  had  rested  before,  he  would  sleep  again 

[Page  217 


BY 

LEO   E.  MILLER 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
NEW  YORK  ::::::::::  1922 


COPYKIGHT,  1922,  BY 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


COPYRIGHT,  1922,  BY 
THE  OPEN  ROAD 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


TO   MY    SON 

SPENCER    KELSEY  MILLER 


21"! 371 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  dried  or  mounted  skins  of  animals 
from  out-of-the-way  places  are  familiar  to 
every  one  who  has  visited  museums  and  other 
similar  institutions.  But,  no  matter  how 
cleverly  arranged,  they  suggest  comparatively 
little  of  the  creatures'  real  appearance  in 
their  native  environment. 

The  comedies,  the  tragedies,  and  the  life 
stories  of  the  untrammelled  wild  creatures 
are  infinitely  more  fascinating  than  a  survey 
of  their  lifeless  and  often  faded  forms,  only 
too  frequently  collected  by  the  hundreds 
with  little  other  thought  than  that  of  classi- 
fication or  the  possession  first  of  rare  or  un- 
described  species. 

It  was  with  the  view  of  bringing  to  light 
the  home  life  of  some  of  the  jungle's  inhabi- 
tants that  "The  Black  Phantom"  was  writ- 
ten. 

LEO  E.  MILLER. 

FLORAL  PARK, 

STRATFORD,  CONN. 

August  i,  1922. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME i 

OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER 30 

THE  TERROR  OF  CLAWS  AND  FANGS       ...  44 

As  IT  WAS  IN  THE  BEGINNING 82 

THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE 114 

THE  CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH 150 

THE  WHITE  FEATHER 189 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Here  where  he  had  rested  before,  he  would  sleep 

again Frontispiece 


FACING  PAGE 


Suma  waited  with  bated  breath  and  blazing  eyes  96 

There  was  the  twang  of  the  bow  and  the  deadly 

missile  whined  through  the  air      ....  208 

"Tumwah,  send  the  rain-clouds  here"      .      .      .  222 


THE   BLACK   PHANTOM 

CHAPTER  I 
WHEN   THE   DELUGE   CAME 

WITH  the  coming  of  night,  Siluk>  the 
Storm-God,  laid  a  heavy  hand  upon  the 
cowering  jungle.  Now,  the  coming  of  night 
in  the  Upper  Amazon  is  in  itself  an  awe-in- 
spiring event;  but  coupled  with  the  furious 
onslaught  of  Siluk,  the  Storm-God,  it  is 
terrible. 

In  the  tropics  there  is  not  the  lengthy 
twilight  of  a  temperate  clime;  nor  the  fear- 
some splendor  of  the  Aurora  Borealis  with  its 
million  streamers  of  ghastly  light  shooting 
into  the  heavens  in  a  fan-shaped  flare  of 
quivering  color  to  lend  mystery  and  enchant- 
ment to  the  long  months  of  the  frigid,  scin- 
tillating polar  night. 

One  moment,  the  sun  like  a  brassy  ball  of 


2  THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

fire  hangs  low  upon  the  threatening  horizon; 
the  next,  it  has  dropped  into  the  belt  of  grayish 
mist  that  marks  the  earth's  end  and  darkness 
has  spread  its  silent,  ominous  mantle  over 
the  forest.  Almost,  as  a  room  is  plunged  into 
blackness  upon  the  snuffing  out  of  a  candle 
at  midnight,  so  the  jungle  is  flooded  with 
gloom  at  the  snap  of  the  solar  switch. 

Uru,  the  great  howling  monkey,  eyed  with 
suspicion  the  bank  of  angry  clouds  descending 
from  the  slopes  of  the  dark  mountain  masses  to 
the  west.  Then  he  turned  to  his  party,  five 
in  number,  and  from  his  throat  there  ema- 
nated a  few  gruff  barks  followed  by  a  long- 
drawn,  rumbling  roar.  The  females  hugged 
close  the  branches,  gave  one  furtive  look 
at  the  threatening  sky,  and  joined  their 
voices  in  the  deafening  chorus  that  shook  the 
wide-spreading  canopy  of  the  tall  ceiba  tree 
and  penetrated  into  the  innermost  recesses  of 
the  jungle  a  distance  measured  in  miles. 
Then  the  troop  clumsily  made  its  way  over 
the  swaying  branches~and  sought  a  friendly 
shelter  in  the  crown  of  a  chonta  palm. 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME       3 

The  wild  things  of  the  forest  heard  the 
warning  and  understood  its  meaning.  From 
the  snug  security  of  the  cavernous  green- 
heart,  the  little,  woolly  douroucoulis  or  night 
monkeys  roused  themselves  from  their  day- 
light slumbers,  peered  out  into  the  fading 
light  with  round,  blinking  eyes,  and  then 
curled  up  again  for  another  nap. 

Sama,  the  tapir,  one  massive  forefoot 
raised  in  midair,  stopped  soothing  with  his 
tongue  the  ugly  gash  inflicted  by  Ueshey 
leader  of  the  peccary  herd  when  he  had 
incautiously  stumbled  into  its  midst,  and 
listened.  His  mind  had  been  made  up  that 
to-night  he  should  feast  on  the  luscious 
grass  growing  so  abundantly  in  the  bed  of 
the  broad,  nearly  dry  river.  But  the  swelling 
chorus  from  the  tree-tops  caused  Sama  hastily 
to  reach  another  decision.  He  would  remain 
where  he  was,  in  the  dense  brake  of  chuchilla 
canes  and  satisfy  his  hunger  on  their  coarser 
leaves.  The  river  bed  was  too  exposed  to 
danger.  In  the  all  but  impenetrable  cane 
thicket  lay  at  least  a  measure  of  safety. 


4  THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Even  Piciciy  the  bushmaster,  largest  and 
deadliest  of  all  the  poisonous  snakes  heard — 
and  heeded.  Not  one  muscle  in  all  his  nine  feet 
of  tightly  coiled,  scale-covered  body  quivered. 
Ordinarily,  Picici  feared  not  one  living  thing. 
In  the  jungle  he  was  supposed  to  reign  supreme, 
save  only  for  Muzuramay  the  black  snake  who 
could  successfully  engage  him  in  combat  if 
he  chose;  but  this  enemy  was  so  rare  as  to  be 
almost  negligible.  The  other  animals  instinc- 
tively knew  and  feared  his  lightning  thrust 
and  death-dealing  fangs.  But  Siluk,  the 
Storm-God  was  different — an  intangible,  elu- 
sive something  he  did  not  understand,  could 
not  subdue.  -.  And  the  terror  that  Siluk 
brought  was  even  worse,  for  it  stalked  boldly 
in  the  night  and  slew  without  warning  or 
mercy.  And  so  the  mighty  serpent  was 
contented  merely  to  remain  in  the  damp,  evil- 
smelling  burrow  under  the  decaying  vegeta- 
tion to  wait  and  to  watch. 

About  the  only  creatures  to  remain  un- 
affected by  the  approach  of  the  storm  were 
the  birds  in  the  tree- tops;  to  them  the  thing 


,        WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME       5 

it  heralded  meant  a  superabundance  of  food 
and  a  denser,  more  protective  growth  of 
vegetation.  And  the  stupid  Agoutis,,  over- 
grown guinea-pigs  they  were,  who  could  never 
profit  by  past  experiences  anyway,  either 
squatted  comfortably  in  their  burrows  or 
stole  out  noiselessly  to  nibble  the  tender 
shoots,  as  suited  their  fancy. 

The  hush  that  fell  upon  the  jungle  was 
appalling.  It  was  the  great,  breathless  silence 
of  fear  and  apprehension.  But  the  suspense 
was  of  short  duration. 

A  sighing  breeze  sifted  its  way  through  the 
whimpering  leaves;  again  the  deadly  calm; 
then  a  dull  roar,  distant  at  first,  but  gaining 
in  volume  with  each  passing  heartbeat.  With 
a  crash  that  rent  the  tallest  ceiba  from  the 
topmost  branches  to  the  buttressed  roots, 
Siluk  arrived.  The  trees  bent  and  groaned 
before  the  furious  onslaught  of  the  wind  that 
enfiladed  their  ranks  and  tore  off  branches 
a  foot  through  and  hurled  them  to  the  ground; 
a  deluge  of  water  beat  down  upon  them  from 
above;  and  in  the  glare  of  the  brilliant,  blue- 


6  THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

green  lightning  flashes,  the  startled  eyes  of 
trembling  wild  things  saw  the  weaker  and 
more  venerable  monarchs  of  the  forest  suc- 
cumb to  the  unequal  struggle  and  fall  with  a 
roar  that  made  itself  heard  above  the  drum- 
fire peals  of  thunder. 

But,  terrible  as  the  Storm-God  was  in  all 
the  majesty  of  his  unleashed  fury,  it  was  not 
he  alone  that  the  trembling  denizens  of  the 
wilderness  feared.  Rather,  it  was  the  thing 
he  portended,  the  message  he  brought.  For, 
with  this  coming  of  Siluk,  began  the  dismal 
season  of  seemingly  unending  rains  when  the 
waters  of  the  lowlands  reached  their  flood 
stage  and  drove  into  the  higher,  forested 
country  that  crafty,  merciless  terror  from 
which  few  were  safe  and  which  was  held  in 
awe  and  dreaded  by  even  the  strongest  among 
them. 

Swna,  the  Jaguar,  basking  in  the  glaring 
sunlight,  awoke  with  a  start,  stretched  her 
massive  forelegs,  yawned,  then  snapped  half- 
heartedly at  the  annoying  insects  that  buzzed 
about  her  ears  and  stung  her  lips;  and  lowered 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME       7 

her  head  for  another  nap.  But,  sleep  came 
slowly  and  then  it  was  for  short  periods  of 
time  only.  Something  stirred  within  her 
and  warned  her  of  a  coming  danger — not 
from  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  wilderness 
for  among  them  there  was  none  to  dispute 
her  sovereignty;  rather,  she  looked  upon  the 
wild  folk  as  creatures  that  had  been  provided 
to  satisfy  her  hunger,  gratify  her  whims  when 
in  a  playful  mood,  or  upon  which  to  vent  her 
rage.  Besides,  the  flat-topped  rock  she  had 
chosen  for  her  daily  resting  place  was  well  out 
from  the  banks  where  unknown  peril  might 
lurk  and  high  enough  above  the  sluggish, 
yellow  river  to  discourage  the  designing  croco- 
diles that  swarmed  below.  In  the  open,  and 
in  a  fair  fight  these  repulsive  reptiles  were 
easy  victims  of  her  power  and  cunning;  but, 
taken  unawares,  she  would  find  them  for- 
midable adversaries.  For  this  reason  she 
drank  only  of  the  shallowest  pools,  and 
refrained  from  swimming,  reaching  her  abiding 
place  over  a  series  of  conveniently-placed 
boulders  that  served  as  stepping  stones. 


8  THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

All  through  the  torrid  day  the  disquieting 
impulse  warned  her  to  be  up  and  on  her  way- 
just  as  the  birds  feel  the  urge  of  an  irresistible 
voice  to  desert  the  land  of  their  birth  and  to 
seek  a  foreign  clime  as  the  change  of  the 
season  draws  near,  and,  heeding  it,  run  the 
gauntlet  of  long  migrations  through  uncharted 
space. 

But,  Suma  was  loath  to  give  up  the  life  of 
ease  and  plenty  on  the  sandbanks  for  the 
sterner  existence  in  the  forested  country. 
Not  until  she  was  driven  from  them  would 
she  undertake  the  long,  fatiguing  journey  to 
the  more  elevated  regions. 

The  river  was  at  its  lowest  stage.  Vast 
islands  and  low,  flat  bars  dotted  its  winding 
course.  The  latter  extended  far  as  the  eye 
could  see  on  both  sides  of  the  now  narrow 
channel.  Young  turtles  in  legion  were  emerg- 
ing from  the  hot,  sun-baked  sand  and  making 
for  the  water  the  instant  they  breathed  the 
outer  air  as  if  their  very  lives  depended  on  it, 
and  they  did — for  during  the  hours  of  day- 
light there  were  herons,  an  ever-present  host 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME       9 

of  hawks,  and  other  predaceous  birds  waiting 
for  the  eggs  to  hatch  and  eager  to  feast  on 
the  defenseless  horde  the  instant  the  little 
creatures  pushed  their  heads  through  the 
crumbling  sand  and  while  they  scrambled 
frantically  toward  the  water  and  safety. 
At  night  the  four-footed  animals  from  miles 
around  gathered  on  the  bars  to  growl  and  to 
snarl  at  one  another  and  to  feast  on  the 
manna  so  bountifully  spread  by  heaven  for 
the  delectation  of  all.  Fights  were  almost 
unknown  for  full  stomachs  were  not  conducive 
to  quarrelsomeness.  Nor  must  it  be  thought 
that  Nature  was  cruel  to  the  turtles  only  to 
be  generous  to  the  other  creatures.  This 
very  emergency  had  been  amply  provided 
for  by  the  fact  that  each  adult  turtle  during 
her  annual  visit  to  land  deposited  as  many  as 
one  hundred  eggs  in  the  hole  she  carefully 
scooped  in  the  sand,  and  had  all  her  offspring 
survived  the  rivers  would  soon  be  overstocked, 
constituting  a  real  menace  to  the  perpetuation 
of  the  race.  So  long  as  the  others  took  their 
toll,  that  generation  was  safe. 


10          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Crocodiles  too  were  bursting  through  their 
tough,  leathery  egg-shells,  but  in  smaller 
numbers.  They  were  vicious  little  creatures 
right  from  the  start,  snapping  quickly  and 
savagely  at  everything  that  interfered  with 
their  rapid  march  to  the  muddy  stream. 
But  they  too  had  their  enemies  and  numbers 
did  not  live  to  reach  the  water's  edge,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  mother  caiman  had  the 
unpleasant  habit  of  keeping  a  watchful  eye 
on  her  nest  and  escorting  her  brood  to  safety 
if  she  chanced  to  be  present  when  it  came  into 
the  world.  If  an  overzealous  jabirou  stork 
or  a  gluttonous  opossum  ventured  near  she 
charged  with  a  hoarse  bellow  that  put  the 
intruder  to  flight;  and  while  she  was  thus 
engaged,  some  other  keen-visaged  marauder 
would  be  sure  to  take  advantage  of  the 
opening  created  by  her  absence  to  satisfy  his 
rapacious  cravings. 

But  the  turtles  and  the  crocodiles  were  not 
the  only  delicacies  the  sand-bars  provided. 
There  were  iguanas  two  yards  long,  and  on  the 
knolls  where  the  wind  had  blown  the  sand 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME      11 

into  heaps  fat  young  skimmers  and  terns  were 
testing  their  wings  for  the  new  life  that  lay 
before  them  in  the  air. 

The  shallow  inlets  were  full  of  fish.  They 
came  out  of  the  deeper  water  at  night  to 
spawn,  and  could  be  dragged  ashore  with 
little  effort. 

From  such  a  well-stocked  hunting  ground 
Suma  was  not  eager  to  depart.  Day  after 
day  the  journey  was  postponed,  and  the 
procrastination,  as  usual,  brought  evil  con- 
sequences. 

It  was  night,  but  a  full  moon,  and  the 
myriads  of  stars,  beaming  and  twinkling  in 
the  glorious  tropical  sky,  shed  a  mellow  light 
on  the  sandbar  where  the  last  of  the  turtles 
were  escaping  from  their  prison  shells.  Suma 
feasted  leisurely,  then  drank  from  the  lazy 
stream,  and  sat  straight  up-right  like  a  huge 
cat  and  began  unconcernedly  to  tidy  up  by 
licking  her  huge  paws  with  her  pink  tongue 
and  then  applying  them  to  her  face. 

A  dull  roar  pierced  the  silence  with  a 
suddenness  that  was  ominous.  The  Jaguar 


12          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

sprang  to  her  feet  and  uneasily  tested  the  air, 
first  in  one  direction,  then  another.  There 
was  not  a  stir  of  wind.  The  sky  was  cloud- 
less— the  growing  rumble  was  not  thunder. 

Onward  came  the  mysterious  sound  with 
a  terrifying  swiftness,  and  Suma  knew  it  must 
be  the  river.  The  abrupt  bank  was  fully 
half  a  mile  distant  but  toward  it  the  startled 
creature  bounded  in  gigantic  leaps  that  took 
her  over  the  sand  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 
The  goal  had  all  but  been  attained  when  the 
cataclysm  struck.  A  wall  of  water,  four  feet 
high  and  crested  with  foam  came  rushing 
down  the  river  bed  with  incredible  swiftness, 
engulfing  everything  within  its  reach.  The 
sand-bar  with  its  varied  population  was  sub- 
merged in  a  flash  and  as  the  air  imprisoned  in 
the  wide  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  sun-baked 
surface  rushed  up  toward  freedom,  the  water 
seethed  and  boiled  like  the  contents  of  a 
gigantic  cauldron. 

Completely  overwhelmed  by  the  first  wave, 
Suma  struggled  frantically  to  regain  her  foot- 
hold and  finding  this  impossible  followed  the 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME      13 

path  of  least  resistance  and  struck  out  boldly 
with  the  current  until  the  water  drained  from 
her  eyes  and  she  could  discern  the  bank 
which  had  been  her  objective.  By  varying 
her  course  slightly  toward  that  side  nearest 
the  land  she  made  fair  progress  and  soon 
reached  a  point  where  the  water  was  shallow 
and  wearily  dragged  herself  ashore.  Pausing 
only  long  enough  to  shake  the  glistening  drops 
from  her  shivering  body  she  began  the  long 
journey  westward  for  at  last  Suma  was 
forced,  reluctantly,  to  admit  the  truth.  Days 
before,  she  had  sensed  the  coming  of  the 
melancholy  weeks  of  endless  downpours  with 
the  attendant  saturated  earth;  but  the  warn- 
ing had  gone  unheeded.  Now,  when  it  was 
all  but  too  late  it  served  as  a  stimulus  to 
redoubled  effort;  for  the  rains  had  started  in 
the  foothills  and  would  soon  extend  their 
sway  to  the  lower  country. 

Daylight  found  the  journey  well  under  way, 
with  vast  stretches  of  swamp  and  forest  and 
plain  to  be  traversed.  Before  her  lay  the  wild 
pantenales,  vast  wastes  of  land  and  water. 


14          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

The  inhabitants  of  these  dismal  places  too  felt 
the  coming  of  the  change  for,  between  the 
sky,  now  overcast  and  angry  for  the  first  time 
in  days,  and  the  earth,  seemingly  waiting  in 
sullen  acquiescence  to  the  dictates  of  a  higher 
power,  flecks  of  black  soared  in  stately  circles, 
or  whirled  in  erratic  courses,  that  were  either 
manifestations  of  abject  surrender  to  the  in- 
evitable, or  else  a  show  of  frenzied  dispair, 
one  could  not  tell  which.  The  soaring  flecks 
of  black  were  flocks  of  graceful  ibises  sail- 
ing hour  after  hour  on  tireless  wings  and  in- 
distinguishable from  vultures  save  for  the 
long,  outstretched  necks  and  legs;  for,  out- 
lined against  the  grayish  heavens  all  the 
winged  creatures  appeared  dark,  no  matter 
what  their  color.  The  whirling  swarms  were 
hordes  of  cormorants,  herons,  terns  and  skim- 
mers defying  every  known  law  of  gravity  in 
their  mad  evolutions. 

The  chorus  of  screams  and  squawks  from 
overhead  could  be  heard  for  miles  and  chief 
among  the  offenders  in  this  respect  were  the 
terns  whose  shrill  voices  and  incessant  clatter 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME      15 

were  like  the  cries  of  woe  of  demented  souls. 
Below,  the  occasional  bellow  of  a  crocodile 
hidden  in  the  reedy  bed  of  a  marsh  or  the 
high-pitched  wail  of  the  great  brown  wolf 
added  its  note  to  the  clamor  of  the  multitude. 

Suma  spent  the  nights  only  in  travel. 
When  the  approach  of  day  was  heralded  by  the 
crimson  glare  in  the  eastern  sky  she  sought 
shelter  in  one  of  the  dark  forest  islands  so 
liberally  sprinkled  over  the  pantenal  country. 
To  the  Jaguar  these  were  places  of  delight, 
free  from  disturbance  and  well  suited  for 
repose.  To  man,  these  same  places  would 
have  been  an  inferno. 

The  tall  trees,  mostly  of  a  wood  known  as 
quebracho,  eagerly  sought  in  other  regions  on 
account  of  its  qualities  of  yielding  tannin, 
rich  dyes  and  compounds  of  medicinal  worth, 
grew  in  dense  clumps,  the  straight  trunks 
packed  close  together  and  the  spreading,  leafy 
branches  almost  completely  shutting  out  the 
daylight.  More  often  than  not  reeking  pools 
of  black  water  formed  the  floor  of  these 
desolate  places.  Mosquitoes  in  clouds  rose 


16          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

from  the  stagnant  mire;  their  buzzing  wings 
made  an  everpresent  music  for,  the  insects 
being  of  various  kinds  and  sizes,  the  note 
contributed  by  each  species  was  of  a  different 
pitch.  Near  the  ground  the  din  was  mad- 
dening, and  the  bites  of  the  ravenous  creatures 
were  sufficient  to  cause  death. 

The  wily  Jaguar  avoided  the  intolerable  an- 
noyance and  danger  by  seeking  a  partly-fallen, 
leaning  tree-trunk,  or  a  thick  branch,  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  This  was  well 
above  the  zone  of  perpetual  torment,  for  the 
obnoxious  insects  formed  a  stratum  that 
hugged  the  earth.  Among  the  branches  the 
squirrels  frolicked,  whisking  their  plume-like 
tails  and  keeping  at  a  respectable  distance 
from  every  other  animal  that  was  not  of  their 
own  family.  Some  of  them  were  of  extra- 
ordinary size,  with  red  backs  and  white  under 
parts;  others  belonged  to  the  extreme  lower 
end  of  the  scale  and  were  scarcely  larger  than 
good-sized  mice;  but  they  all  seemed  a  good- 
natured,  fun-loving  lot  that  enjoyed  life  to 
the  fullest  extent. 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     17 

The  cebus  monkeys  were  of  a  very  different 
nature.  They  always  wore  tragic  expressions 
on  their  faces  and  their  lives  were  full  of  suf- 
fering and  woe  for  they  had  enemies  without 
numbers.  If  they  showed  themselves  on  the 
sunlit  dome  of  the  treetops,  an  eagle  was 
always  ready  to  pounce  down  upon  them  and 
carry  away  one  of  their  number,  screaming 
piteously,  in  its  talons.  When  they  descended 
to  drink  caimans  were  lurking  near  at  hand  to 
drag  them  into  the  dark  depths  below.  Snakes 
of  the  constrictor  family  were  not  wanting 
among  the  branches;  despite  their  huge  size 
they  had  a  habit  of  lying  patiently  in  wait 
where  the  cover  was  thickest,  or  of  appearing 
in  the  most  unexpected  places  and  after  each 
of  their  swift  lunges  the  monkey  population 
was  reduced  by  one.  Then  too,  there  was 
Suma,  never  averse  to  striking  with  murderous 
intent  at  anything  that  came  within  reach. 
The  damp  chill  of  the  nights  penetrated  the 
bodies  of  the  closely  huddled  groups,  and 
caused  them  to  shiver;  and  during  the  hot- 
test hours  of  the  day  they  trembled  with  the 


18          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

ague.  So  their  existence,  taken  as  a  whole 
was  a  most  unfortunate  and  melancholy  one. 
There  were  also  other  denizens  of  the  dismal 
places.  At  noon  the  marsh  deer  with  wide- 
spreading  antlers  sought  them  out  as  the 
only  available  protection  from  the  blistering 
sunlight.  But  they  were  wary  creatures,  ever 
on  the  alert,  sensing  danger  and  fleeing  from 
it  before  their  position  was  really  imperilled. 
The  tapirs  too  were  shy  but  not  so  appre- 
hensive of  their  welfare,  for  they  were  power- 
ful animals  and  well  versed  in  jungle  strategy. 
Once  Suma  had  essayed  to  try  her  prowess  on 
one  of  the  big  ungulates  by  springing  from  a 
lower  branch  and  burying  her  claws  and 
fangs  in  its  shoulder.  But  the  hide  was  so 
tough,  particularly  along  the  ridge  that  ran 
down  from  the  neck  that  she  gained  little 
more  than  a  secure  hold  and  this  the  tapir 
broke  by  promptly  bolting  through  the  densest 
brush  where  the  stout  overhanging  branches 
brushed  the  Jaguar  off  as  if  she  had  been  a 
fly  and  left  her  lying  bruised  and  stunned  on 
the  soggy  ground.  Herds  of  peccaries  roamed 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     19 

the  forest  islands  at  will.  Their  safety  lay 
principally  in  numbers,  but  more  of  them 
anon. 

Keeping  just  ahead  of  the  encroaching 
water  that  daily  added  broad  miles  to  the 
inundated  areas,  Suma  was  finally  driven  to 
the  heavy  forest  that  spread  its  mantle  over 
the  rough,  low  ridges  forming  the  Andean 
foothills.  And  the  long  journey  finally  over 
the  great  cat  felt  a  thrill  of  delight  at  again 
seeing  the  old,  familiar  haunts  in  the  rain- 
drenched  thickets. 

With  a  caution  akin  to  awe  she  approached 
the  windfall  where  a  cyclone  years  before  had 
levelled  a  wide  swath  through  the  heavy 
growth.  Giant  trunks  and  branches,  resisting 
decay,  littered  the  floor  of  the  lane  and  formed 
a  barrier  impenetrable  to  those  inhabitants  of 
the  jungle  confined  to  a  life  on  the  ground. 
Second  growth  sprouts  had  pushed  their  way 
through  the  tangled,  twisted  debris  and  waved 
their  plumed  heads  above  the  mass  of  wreck- 
age. Creepers  and  trumpet  vines  covered  it 
with  a  green  cloak  so  that  an  endless  mound 


20          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

of  verdure  dotted  with  clusters  of  scarlet 
flowers  greeted  the  eye  in  two  directions. 
Gorgeous  humming  birds,  aflame  with  ruby 
and  emerald  light  flitted  from  one  patch  of 
color  to  another,  sipping  the  nectar  from 
deep-throated  corollas  and  picking  out  the 
ants  and  other  minute  insects  that  too  had 
been  attracted  by  the  delicacies  stored  in  the 
brilliant  blossoms. 

Suma  knew  the  country  well.  Thrice  before 
had  she  taken  up  her  abode  there  while  the 
rains  were  falling.  And  now,  springing  nimbly 
from  one  prostrate  tree-trunk  to  another, 
threading  her  way  through  verdure-covered 
tunnels,  and  pushing  aside  the  sprouts  that 
impeded  her  progress  she  made  her  way  to 
the  old  lair — a  great  cavity  in  the  heart  of  an 
uprooted  cottonwood. 

At  the  entrance  she  stopped  short  and 
sniffed  the  air  enquiringly.  Her  nose  told 
her  that  the  spiny  rats  had  been  there, 
probably  that  very  night,  but  they  were 
beneath  her  serious  attention  and  now  that 
she  had  arrived  they  would  lose  no  time  in 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     21 

seeking  other  quarters;  so  she  dismissed  them 
from  her  mind  without  another  thought.  A 
stronger  and  more  disagreeable  odor  pro- 
claimed the  presence  of  an  opossum;  in  fact, 
its  beady  eyes  could  be  seen  dully  glowing  in 
the  farthermost  corner  of  the  cavity.  How 
dared  the  impudent  creature  appropriate  for 
its  own  use  and  defile  the  place  that  Suma 
held  sacred?  Ordinarily  she  would  pass  it  in 
contempt,  but  such  impertinence  must  not 
remain  unpunished.  With  a  snarl  of  rage  she 
dashed  through  the  entrance  and  struck  the 
wretched  creature  a  terrible  blow  with  one 
claw-armed  paw  that  tore  it  into  shreds  and 
turning,  with  a  second  quick  thrust  tossed  it 
out  where  it  fell  among  the  trumpet-vines,  a 
limp  and  lifeless  mass. 

After  a  thorough  inspection  of  her  old 
quarters  the  Jaguar  was  apparently  satisfied 
that  they  would  serve  their  purpose  another 
season,  and  set  about  renovating  them.  This 
consisted  of  carefully  digging  up  and  turning 
over  the  decayed  bark  and  leaves  that  had 
sifted  in  through  the  opening.  Nor  was  this 


22          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

labor  without  its  reward,  for  numbers  of  fat 
grubs  and  the  helpless  larvae  of  rhinoceros 
beetles  were  unearthed,  providing  dainty 
morsels  for  the  big  cat.  This  accomplished, 
Suma  inquisitively  sniffed  at  each  nook  and 
crevice,  then  turning  around  a  number  of 
times  in  search  of  the  most  comfortable  spot, 
settled  down  for  a  long  nap — her  nostrils 
toward  the  entrance  beyond  which  the  rain 
roared  and  the  thunder  crashed.  The  air  was 
fragrant  with  the  smell  of  growing  things  for 
the  rainy  season  was  not  yet  far  enough 
advanced  to  induce  decomposition  of  the 
wilted  and  dead  vegetation ;  and  Suma,  glad  to 
be  back  in  her  home  again,  speedily  sank  into 
a  peaceful  and  refreshing  sleep. 

From  the  cautious  hunter  moving  shadow- 
like  over  the  dreary  expanse  of  the  pantenales 
or  stealing  like  a  spirit  through  the  forest 
islands  and  killing  for  food  only,  Suma  sud- 
denly changed  to  a  bloodthirsty  terror  that 
slew  whatever  came  within  her  reach.  Back 
and  forth  she  patrolled  along  the  edges  of 
the  windfall.  No  creature  was  too  small, 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     23 

none    too   large    to    merit    the    fury    of   her 
onslaught. 

Numbers  of  the  more  careless  or  stupid 
animals,  panic-stricken  at  last  when  it  was 
too  late,  fell  ready  victims.  Instead  of  seek- 
ing safety  at  the  first  menacing  roar  they 
foolishly  succumbed  to  their  curiosity  or  stop- 
ped only  long  enough  to  listen  and  to  wonder, 
then  went  about  their  own  affairs  as  was  their 
custom.  This  seldom  failed  to  bring  dire 
consequences,  for  when  the  sudden  rush  came 
it  confused  them  and  they  dashed  blindly  into 
the  very  jaws  of  their  destroyer.  Such  par- 
ticularly was  the  fate  of  the  agoutis,  which  had 
either  forgotten  the  experience  of  past  seasons 
or  had  failed  to  inherit  the  cunning  of  the 
other  wild  folk.  When  the  Jaguar  approached, 
noisily  announcing  her  coming  with  voice  and 
footfall,  they  sat  stock  still  and  waited.  Only 
their  noses  twitched  and  their  large,  black 
eyes  stared  dumbly  in  the  direction  from 
whence  the  sounds  came.  They  never  had 
long  to  wait.  With  a  growl,  Suma  pounced 
upon  them,  mauled  them  into  bits  and  left 


24          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

them  as  a  warning  the  meaning  of  which  could 
not  be  misunderstood. 

The  lot  of  the  armadillos  was  not  vastly 
different.  Digging  for  grubs  in  the  wet  mould, 
they  were  oblivious  to  their  surroundings  for 
with  their  heads  hidden  from  view  they  felt 
a  fanciful  security  from  outward  aggression. 
The  rings  of  bony  armor  that  covered  their 
bodies  was  strong  enough,  it  is  true,  to  protect 
them  from  the  talons  of  the  harpy  eagle  and 
claws  of  the  tiger  cats;  but  when  Suma  dealt 
her  crushing  blow  it  proved  at  once  the  fallacy 
of  taking  too  many  things  for  granted.  So 
the  shattered  casques  and  broken  bones  of 
many  a  luckless  armadillo  were  strewn  along 
the  way,  mute  evidences  of  Suma's  insatiable 
savagery. 

In  contrast  to  the  actions  of  the  agoutis 
and  armadillos  was  the  behavior  of  the  ocelots. 
At  the  first  intimation  of  danger  they  dis- 
appeared to  their  hiding  places  or  climbed  the 
nearest  tree  from  the  branches  of  which  they 
watched  with  the  eyes  of  hatred  as  their 
larger  relative  passed  below.  However,  in  the 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     25 

event  that  they  were  trapped  in  the  middle 
of  a  stalk  they  spat  and  hissed  and  offered  the 
strongest  resistance  of  which  they  were  ca- 
pable, or  at  least  so  it  seemed.  In  reality 
they  were  merely  bluffing,  knowing  all  the 
while,  with  sinking  hearts,  that  their  position 
was  hopeless,  and  that  their  strategy  had  no 
effect  whatever  on  the  actions  of  their  perse- 
cutor. 

The  more  knowing  animals  heeded  the 
warning  so  plainly  written  in  the  mutilated 
bodies  of  their  brethren;  in  the  snarls  of  rage 
and  in  the  screams  of  terror  of  the  doomed 
victims;  and  in  the  roars  of  triumph  that 
followed  each  notable  kill.  To  them,  all  these 
signs  were  superfluous,  for  had  they  not 
witnessed  the  coming  of  Siluk,  the  Storm-God, 
and  had  they  not  known  of  the  thing  that 
portended?  But  such  is  the  nature  of  the 
wild  things  that  they  are  loath  to  change  the 
established  order  of  their  lives  until  forced  to 
do  so.  So,  not  until  death  walked  boldly  in 
their  midst,  and  struck — no  one  could  tell 
when  and  where,  did  they  profit  by  their 


26          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

superior  intelligence.  Then  the  more  timid 
ones  among  their  number  moved  to  safe 
quarters  far  from  the  windfall,  while  the 
others  redoubled  their  vigilance  and  dared 
not  venture  many  paces  from  the  protection  of 
their  burrows  and  shelters. 

So  far,  the  inhabitants  of  the  treetops  had 
not  been  molested.  Largest  among  them 
were  the  howling  monkeys.  Secretly,  they 
feared  Suma  and  hated  her  with  all  the  vehe- 
mence of  their  intractable  natures.  In  secret 
also,  they  followed  her  movements  whenever 
possible,  dogging  her  steps  and  gazing  with 
furtive  eyes  upon  her  acts  of  violence.  But 
they  were  careful  to  keep  to  the  higher 
branches  and  to  view  the  jungle  tragedies  from 
the  safety  of  their  lofty  perches.  So  long  as 
the  Jaguar  hunted  openly  and  made  no 
efforts  to  conceal  her  movements,  they  had 
nothing  to  fear.  It  was  later,  when  the  great 
cat  called  into  play  all  the  resources  and 
artifices  at  her  command  that  their  hour 
would  strike.  But  like  the  other  foolish  wild 
folk,  they  looked  upon  that  time  as  something 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     27 

belonging  to  the  indistinct  future  and  not 
until  the  lesson  should  be  brought  home  to 
them,  swiftly  and  terribly,  would  they  profit 
by  it. 

In  her  turn,  Suma  hated  the  monkey  tribe. 
She  had  frequent  glimpses  of  the  dark  forms 
slinking  through  the  branches  high  above  her 
head,  but  gave  no  indication  of  the  fact.  At 
the  present  time  she  could  not  hope  suc- 
cessfully to  wage  war  upon  them  in  their 
arboreal  fastness.  But  it  would  not  always  be 
so.  Other  days  were  coming  and  then  the 
monkey  band  would  be  given  their  lesson  and 
punished  for  their  presumption. 

The  bird  flocks  swept  through  the  forest  in 
quest  of  their  livelihood  with  as  much  clamor 
as  ever.  To  them  Suma  meant  nothing;  the 
majority  of  them  had  never  seen  her — did  not 
even  know  that  such  a  creature  existed.  The 
jays,  quarrelsome  and  noisy  as  are  their 
relatives  of  the  temperate  zone,  occasionally 
saw  the  spotted  hunter  as  she  passed  where 
the  undergrowth  was  more  open,  and  sent  up 
a  loud  chatter  that  apprised  all  the  other  wild 


28          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

things  of  her  whereabouts.  And  while  real- 
izing her  impotence  to  deal  with  them,  Suma 
could  never  quite  check  the  growl  that  swelled 
in  her  throat  nor  stay  the  lips  that  drew  back 
until  the  gleaming,  white  fangs  were  exposed 
to  view.  Then,  with  a  sheepish  look  as  if 
heartily  ashamed  of  having  noticed  the  pests 
at  all,  she  hastened  to  thicker  cover  and 
quickly  lost  herself  to  her  tormentors. 

And  so  the  days,  and  the  nights  too,  passed 
swiftly,  each  with  its  complement  of 
thunder  and  of  rain,  and  of  intimidation  and 
destruction;  but  at  last  Suma  was  satisfied. 
The  region  had  been  cleared  of  everything 
that  might  disturb  the  tranquillity  of  the 
weeks  to  come.  That  had  been  her  first  care, 
her  first  duty  prompted  by  an  instinct  that 
made  her  merciless  in  its  execution.  Her 
abode  was  safe  from  disturbance.  She  could 
come  and  go  as  she  chose,  serene  in  the 
knowledge  that  not  a  living  thing  remained 
in  the  vicinity  to  trouble  her,  or,  if  any 
remained  they  were  cowed  to  the  point  where 
they  dared  not  make  their  presence  known. 


WHEN  THE  DELUGE  CAME     29 

Then  she  retired  to  the  cavity  in  the  great 
cottonwood  and  for  three  days  and  three 
nights  the  jungle  saw  her  not. 

The  deluge  thundered  and  beat  upon  the 
drooping  vegetation  with  a  sound  so  monot- 
onous that  Suma  grew  accustomed  to  it  and 
did  not  notice  its  existence.  But  the  chamber 
in  the  giant  tree  trunk  remained  dry  and 
comfortable,  a  little  world  apart  from  its 
mournful  surroundings.  And  scarcely  had 
she  entered  upon  her  voluntary  retirement 
when  a  swarm  of  crane-flies  took  up  its  station 
at  the  entrance.  These  latter  were  slender, 
almost  wasplike  insects  with  lacy  wings  and 
long,  threadlike  legs,  that  whirled  and  danced 
with  the  mad  joyousness  of  life,  the  mass  of 
swirling  creatures  seemingly  spinning  a  net  of 
sheerest  gossamer  that  curtained  the  interior 
from  the  prying  eyes  of"  the  wrens  and  ant 
birds  hopping  inquisitively  through  the  crev- 
ices of  the  windfall. , 


CHAPTER  II 
OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER 

The  approach  of  Siluk,  the  Storm-God, 
brought  terror  not  only  to  the  animals  of  the 
boundless  wilderness.  Besides  the  creatures 
that  lived  in  the  tree-tops,  in  the  air,  on  the 
floor  of  the  forest  and  under  the  rubbish  that 
littered  the  ground  were  other  living  beings, 
no  less  wild,  no  less  savage  than  the  ones 
that  shared  their  jungle  homes. 

They  were  the  Indians,  living  in  scattered 
tribes,  some  numerous,  others  so  few  in 
numbers  that  they  verged  on  extinction. 
They  roamed  the  vast  hinterland  in  bands, 
subsisting  on  the  bounty  of  the  land  when 
food  was  plentiful,  suffering  hunger  in  less 
propitious  seasons,  and  sleeping  on  the  ground 
where  night  overtook  them. 

The  dry  season  was  their  time  of  harvest, 
of  care-free  existence  and  of  abundance.  No 

sooner  had  the  heavens  ceased  to  drench  the 

30 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     31 

long-enduring  earth  with  its  tears  than  they 
followed  the  receding  floods  to  the  lower 
regions  where  the  forest  ended. 

Then  came  long  days  of  brilliant  sunshine, 
of  balmy  breezes,  and  of  feasting  beside  the 
great  rivers  that  were  the  very  arteries  of  life 
of  the  great  Amazon  country. 

Well-filled  stomachs  were  conducive  to 
friendlier  dispositions.  Old  enmities  were 
forgotten  or  at  least  held  in  abeyance.  Each 
tribe  was  too  busily  engaged  in  the  enjoyment 
of  life  to  spend  precious  days  in  warfare  on 
its  neighbors  with  all  the  attendant  hardships 
and  suffering. 

It  was  only  after  the  skies  had  been  leaden 
for  days  at  a  time;  when  rain  in  torrents  beat 
unceasingly  upon  the  hastily  erected  shelters 
and  found  its  way  in  rivulets  through  the 
palm-leaf  roofs  so  that  the  earthen  floors 
were  converted  into  basins  of  mud;  when 
game  retreated  to  unknown  or  inaccessible 
places  so  that  the  procuring  of  food  became 
an  increasingly  difficult  problem;  it  was  then, 
after  the  weeks  of  brooding  and  confinement 


32          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

that  nerves  snapped  and  the  picture  of  war 
formed  itself  as  a  saving  diversion  before 
the  blood-shot  eyes  of  the  savages. 

At  this  stage  no  one  was  safe.  The  war 
party  might  at  any  moment  find  itself  am- 
bushed by  the  very  ones  it  hoped  to  surprise. 
The  snap  of  a  twig;  the  dropping  of  a  fruit 
from  some  tall  tree;  each  sudden  sound  was 
interpreted  as  the  twang  of  a  hostile  bow. 
Overwrought  nerves  peopled  the  jungle  with 
spectral  enemies;  they  found  relief  in  combat 
and  destruction. 

And,  above  all  the  scenes  of  desolation, 
above  the  turmoil  and  the  strife,  the  grim 
storm  god  ruled  supreme,  heartlessly  sending 
new  deluges  and  crashing  bolts  in  answer  to 
the  prayers  for  deliverance. 

The  Cantanas  had  ventured  farther  down 
the  river  than  was  their  wont.  The  season 
had  been  a  remarkable  one.  Never  had  there 
been  such  abundance  along  the  stream  that  for 
many  years  had  served  as  their  annual  camp- 
ing-ground. They  revelled  in  the  luxury  of  a 
care-free  existence.  Fish  teemed  in  the  water; 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     33 

turtles  came  in  hordes  to  visit  the  sand-bank; 
and  birds  in  countless  numbers  rilled  the  air 
with  twinkling  wings  and  harsh  screams. 
They  had  only  to  take,  to  eat,  and  to  make 
merry  for  it  was  not  their  nature  to  look  too 
seriously  upon  the  morrow. 

And  then,  like  a  fateful  omen  of  troubled 
times  on  the  horizon  came  the  first  sign,  the 
first  warning  of  the  impending  change. 

The  tribe  was  small,  reduced  in  numbers  by 
the  periodical  inroads  made  upon  it  by  some 
of  its  neighbors.  Also,  led  by  an  aged  man 
who  relied  more  on  charms  and  incantations 
than  upon  valor,  it  stood  in  a  fair  way  of  utter 
extermination. 

Among  the  men  was  a  youth  of  promise, 
Oomah  by  name.  He  was  a  general  favorite, 
praised  by  the  men  for  his  deeds  of  courage 
and  daring,  admired  by  the  women  and  be- 
loved by  the  children. 

Oomah  was  only  seventeen.  Still,  at  that 
early  age  he  stood  half  a  head  above  any  other 
member  of  the  tribe  and  was  built  in  pro- 
portion."" It  had  been  hinted  on  more  than 


34          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

one  occasion  that  he  was  to  be  their  next 
leader.  But,  if  he  knew  of  it,  he  gave 
not  the  slightest  evidence  of  the  fact.  He 
went  about  his  affairs  as  stolidly  as  ever,  indif- 
ferent to  all  but  the  urge  of  the  water,  the 
lure  of  the  forest  and  those  other  things  that 
rounded  out  the  well-filled  days  of  the  annual 
period  of  recreation. 

And  now  the  time  had  arrived  when  that 
period  must  soon  come  to  a  close.  But  the 
sun  was  shining  still,  the  wind  blew  and  the 
birds  shrieked  in  their  revels  overhead. 

The  men  were  dozing  in  their  hammocks; 
the  women  had  built  fires  over  which  to  roast 
the  turtle  meat  for  the  evening  meal.  And 
the  children  played  in  the  sand. 

A  shout  went  up  suddenly  from  one  of  the 
group. 

"Here  comes  Oomah  now." 

"Yes!  We  will  run  to  meet  Oomah," 
another  said.  "See,  he  brings  birds  from  the 
forest." 

They  raced  toward  the  oncoming  figure 
still  a  few  hundred  yards  away  on  the  edge 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     35 

of  the  sandbank.  Each  wanted  to  be  the 
first  to  reach  his  side  and  to  hear  from  his 
lips  the  story  of  the  afternoon's  hunt. 

"Oh,  look,"  the  leader  said  in  wide-eyed 
wonder  when  they  all  came  to  a  stop  in  front 
of  the  mighty  hunter.  "A  gura  and  a  chapla 
Tell  us,  Oomah,  how  did  you  get  them  ? " 

"In  the  forest,  high  up  in  the  trees,"  the 
youth  replied  with  a  smile.  "Now  look  at 
the  birds  and  tell  me  what  you  see." 

A  chorus  of  answers  came  instantly  for, 
close  observation  of  all  things  is  part  of  the 
life  training  of  the  wild  people. 

"One  has  a  short  tail,"  said  one. 

"The  big  one  has  a  long  tail,"  said  another. 

"The  feathers  on  its  head  are  all  curled  and 
twisted,"  added  a  third.  "And  they  both 
have  long  necks  and  long  legs." 

"Listen,"  said  Oomah,  "and  I  will  tell  you 
why  these  things  are  true." 

He  sat  down  in  the  sand  and  crossed  his 
legs  and  the  group  of  eager  urchins  dropped 
down  in  a  semi-circle  before  him. 

"In  the  very  beginning  of  things,  many, 


36          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

many  changes  of  the  season  ago,  the  gura  and 
the  Chapla  were  just  alike,"  Oomah  said 
impressively,  holding  up  one  hand  for  further 
emphasis.  "They  were  married  one  day  just 
as  the  rains  were  about  to  stop  for  good  and  the 
floods  were  going  back  into  the  rivers  where 
they  belonged.  But,  they  were  not  happy. 
Before  long  they  quarrelled.  The  guray" 
holding  up  the  trumpeter,  which  was  like  a 
turkey  without  a  tail,  for  such  it  was,  "was 
forever  cackling  and  scolding  and  the  chapla" 
pointing  to  the  curassow,  which  resembled  a 
turkey  with  a  long  tail,  "resented  this  and 
answered  in  loud  squawks.  Then  they  began 
to  fight.  The  chapla  pushed  the  gura  into  the 
fire  over  which  she  was  cooking  and  burned 
off  her  tail.  In  rage,  the  gura  pushed  her 
husband  into  the  fire,  scorching  the  feathers 
on  his  head  so  that  they  curled  up.  Now, 
Wallaha,  god  of  the  forest  saw  the  fight  and 
it  made  him  angry.  'For  shame/  he  said, 
fighting  like  that  when  you  should  be  peace- 
ful and  happy.  I  will  punish  you.  You 
will  bear  the  marks  of  your  disgrace  with  you 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     37 

forever/  And  that  is  why  the  gura  has  a 
short  tail  and  the  feathers  on  the  head  of  the 
chapla  are  singed  even  to  this  day." 

A  chorus  of  "Oh's"  escaped  the  cluster  of 
eager  listeners.  "Tell  us  another  story.'* 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  tell  about?" 
Oomah  asked  indulgently. 

"Tell  us  about  the  rivers." 

The  youth  was  silent  for  a  moment,  as  if 
lost  in  thought.  Then  he  began. 

"The  little  streams  that  come  from  the 
mountains  so  far  away  and  rush  through  the 
forest  are  always  talking,  always  babbling. 
They  are  never  silent.  Have  you  not  noticed 
that?" 

'Yes,  and  they  are  always  in  a  hurry," 
came  the  prompt  reply.  "What  are  they 
saying?" 

"They  are  praying.  'Father  of  Waters,' 
they  are  pleading,  'wait  for  us  and  take  us  into 
your  arms  and  carry  us  away  with  you  to 
the  great  sea  where  the  land  ends.  We  are 
small  and  cannot  travel  the  distance  alone; 
the  hungry  ground  would  drink  us  up  or  the 


38          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

wind  would  dry  us  up.  But  in  your  embrace 
we  will  safely  reach  our  home.' 

"Tell  us,  Oomah,"  one  of  the  boys  said  in 
an  awestruck  tone,  "are  there  still  greater 
rivers  than  the  Father  of  Waters  we  know?" 

"The  Father  of  Waters  is  but  as  a  drop 
compared  to  the  great  sea  into  which  it 
empties,"  Oomah  said  wistfully.  "It  is  so 
large  that  there  is  no  other  side.  The  fish  in 
it  are  bigger  than  the  tallest  tree  and  when 
the  wind  blows  the  waves  are  high  as  moun- 


tains." 


"Oh,  did  you  see  these  things  Oomah," 
the  eager  listeners  asked. 

"No,"  came  the  reply,  regretfully. 

"Then,  who  did  see  them?  Who  told  you 
of  them?" 

"Long,  long  ago  the  Cantanas  were  a  power- 
ful people.  They  built  the  largest  canoes 
and  travelled  to  the  river's  end.  They  saw 
them.  The  story  of  their  wandering  came  to 
me  from  my  mother." 

"When  we  are  men,"  one  of  the  boys  said, 
"we  will  make  a  great  canoe.  Then  you  will 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     39 

take  us  to  see  the  water  that  is  so  broad  it 
has  no  other  side." 

"No,"  Oomah  said  sadly.  "It  is  impossible 
for,  since  that  day  white  men  have  come  in 
countless  numbers  and  settled  along  the 
borders  of  the  Father  of  Waters.  Little  by 
little  they  are  pushing  up  the  river.  Some 
day  they  will  be  even  here." 

"Not  so  long  as  there  is  a  Can  tana  alive," 
the  oldest  of  the  youths  replied.  "We  will 
fight  them  and  drive  them  back." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that  and  I 
would  that  I  could  be  the  leader  against  them. 
But,  that  too  is  not  possible,"  regretfully. 
"The  white  men  are  numerous  as  the  stars  in 
the  heavens.  They  fight  with  sticks  that 
roar  like  thunder  and  throw  the  lightning 
that  kills  instantly.  Their  boats  vomit  fire 
and  smoke  and  are  longer  than  from  here  to 
the  water's  edge." 

"What  terrible  savages  they  must  be," 
one  of  the  boys  said  breathlessly. 

"Some  day,"  Oomah  continued,  a  strange 
light  brightening  his  face,  "I  will  take  you 


40          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

down  the  river  to  the  border  of  the  region 
where  the  white  men  live.  We  will  travel  at 
night  and  hide  by  day.  From  our  places  of 
concealment  we  will  watch  them  but  they 
shall  not  see  us." 

"What  would  Choflo  say?"  one  of  the  more 
timid  ones  asked. 

"We  will  not  ask  Choflo,"  another  promptly 
replied.  "He  says  too  many  things  and 
always  makes  us  do  the  things  we  hate  to  do." 

''You  forget,"  Oomah  advised  them,  "that 
Choflo  is  leader  of  the  tribe.  So  long  as  he 
lives  he  must  be  obeyed." 

This  calmed  the  threatened  insurrection. 
Oomah's  words  had  been  calculated  to  uphold 
their  respect  for  the  one  who  was  their  leader 
and  they  had  accomplished  their  purpose,  so 
the  subject  was  dismissed. 

"Would  you  hear  more?"  the  youth  asked. 

"Yes,  yes,"  came  the  response  in  a  chorus 
of  eager  voices.  "Tell  us  another  story." 

'This,  also  have  I  not  seen,"  the  story- 
teller continued,  "nor  do  I  hope  ever  to  see  it. 
But  it  has  been  known  that  at  certain  inter- 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     41 

vals  of  time  a  mysterious  spirit  appears  in 
the  forest — a  huge  black  being,  so  powerful 
and  so  ferocious  that  every  living  thing  shrinks 
from  it  in  terror.  Our  sharpest  arrows,  shot 
from  the  most  powerful  bows  do  not  harm  it. 
It  roars  at  night  so  that  the  sound  of  its  voice 
may  be  heard  a  distance  of  a  full  day's  travel 
and  it  slays  on  sight  but  does  not  devour  the 
men  it  kills." 

The  hearers  drew  closer  together.  They 
were  too  interested  for  speech. 

"It  is  said  that  the  terrible  monster  is  a 
phantom,  sent  by  Tumwah,  God  of  Drought 
to  punish  us  for  our  evil  deeds.  It  takes 
the  form  of  the  tiger  but  of  a  black  color. 
May  none  of  you  ever  come  under  the  spell  of 
this  vile  spirit." 

The  tale  was  interrupted  at  this  time.  A 
shadow  flashed  past  them  on  the  sand. 

"See,  see,"  Oomah  shouted,  jumping  to 
his  feet.  He  pointed  to  a  black  bird,  a 
vulture,  that  was  circling  over  their  heads. 

"The  omen  never  fails.  Siluk  is  coming; 
he  is  upon  us.  Look!  look!" 


42          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

He  was  now  pointing  to  the  fleeting  shadow 
on  the  sand.  Some  of  the  bird's  primary 
feathers  were  gone  so  that  the  wings  cast  a 
barred  shadow. 

"When  the  vulture  sheds  his  wing-feathers 
the  rains  have  started  to  fall  in  the  mountains. 
Run,  all  of  you,  to  the  high  banks  and  remain 
there.  I  will  go  to  warn  the  others.  Soon 
the  flood  will  be  upon  us." 

The  urchins  fled  without  further  urging. 
And  Oomah  started  on  a  run  toward  the 
cluster  of  hovels  on  the  margin  of  the  water. 

His  cries  brought  out  the  men  and  women 
before  he  reached  their  midst,  and  it  required 
but  a  moment  to  deliver  his  message. 

"Impossible,"  Choflo  replied  with  a  mali- 
cious gleam  in  his  eyes.  "The  sign  did  not 
appear  to  me" 

"But,  I  saw  it.  The  children  saw  it. 
Gather  up  what  you  can  and  run  for  your 
lives." 

"No!"  The  leader  raised  his  hands.  "The 
flood  will  not  reach  us.  I  will  stop  it." 

He  raised  his  voice  in  a  low,  droning  chant 


OOMAH,  THE  STORY-TELLER     43 

but  before  he  had  uttered  a  dozen  words 
there  came  a  distant  roar,  dull  but  unmis- 
takable, that  drowned  the  sound  of  his 
incantation. 

The  Indians  needed  no  further  evidence  of 
the  truth  of  Oomah's  warning.  Abandoning 
everything,  they  rushed  in  a  body  toward  the 
distant  bank  that  meant  safety;  and  Choflo, 
despite  his  years,  well  held  his  place  among 
them. 

They  were  just  in  time.  Scarcely  had  the 
last  man  gained  the  higher  ground  than  the 
wall  of  water  thundered  down  the  riverbed, 
engulfing  everything  in  its  path.  Their  weap- 
ons were  lost;  the  turtles  in  the  corralls  were 
swept  away;  their  cooking  utensils  had  van- 
ished. Had  they  heeded  Oomah  without 
delay  it  would  have  been  different. 

They  had  escaped  with  nothing  but  their 
lives;  but,  even  for  this  they  were  grateful 
even  though  it  meant  days  of  suffering  in  the 
rain-drenched  forest  before  they  could  again 
replace  their  loss. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  TERROR  OF  CLAWS  AND 
FANGS. 

When  Suma,  the  Jaguar,  driven  from  the 
dismal  wastes  of  the  pantenal  country  by 
the  encroaching  floods  of  the  rainy  season 
reached  the  higher,  forested  region  skirting 
the  Andean  foothills,  she  entered  upon  a 
wild  orgy  of  terrorism  and  slaughter. 

Her  instinct  gratified,  Suma  retired  to 
the  cavity  in  the  cottonwood  while  the  tor- 
rential rains  fell  with  a  monotonous  roar, 
and  the  craneflies  with  their  lacy,  whirring 
wings  formed  a  curtain  in  the  entrance  to 
lend  sanctity  to  the  inner  chamber. 

Ordinarily,  Suma  did  not  destroy  wantonly; 
she  killed  for  food  only  or  in  self-defense;  or, 
in  resentment  of  the  too  familiar  advances 
or  the  indifference  of  some  one  of  the  less 
intelligent  creatures  that  had  not  yet  learned 

44 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  45 

to  respect  her  power  and  acknowledge  her 
sovereignty  in  the  jungle.  But,  the  present 
was  not  an  ordinary  occasion  for,  soon  Warruk, 
as  the  Indians  on  the  Ichilo  River  called  the 
Jaguar  cub  was  to  make  his  appearance  in 
the  big  world;  and  it  was  but  for  his  comfort 
and  safety  that  Suma  provided. 

After  a  three  days'  retirement  the  great 
cat  emerged  from  the  seclusion  of  her  dark 
retreat,  hungry  and  ferocious  but  with  a 
stealth  and  caution  well  calculated  to  evade 
any  prying  eyes  that  might  attempt  to  observe 
her  actions  from  the  treetops  and  surmise 
their  meaning. 

A  puff,  like  smoke,  from  the  entrance  to 
the  cavity  announced  her  coming;  but  it  was 
only  the  madly  dancing  cloud  of  craneflies 
clearing  the  passage  at  her  approach. 

The  rain  was  falling  with  a  steady  drone 
from  a  sky  of  unbroken,  cheerless  gray,  and 
rivulets  of  water  trickled  from  the  drooping 
vegetation.  Mosses  and  ferns,  revived  by 
the  superabundance  of  moisture  had  sprung 
up  on  the  decaying  trunks  and  branches  of 


46          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

the  uprooted  trees,  pushing  their  feathery 
leaflets  through  the  blanket  of  creepers  and 
forming  a  dense,  soggy  layer  cold  and  clammy 
to  the  touch  and  treacherous  underfoot.  But 
Suma  knew  her  domicile  well  and  passed  rapidly 
and  surefootedly  over  the  interlocking  tree 
skeletons  and  soon  reached  the  level  forest  floor. 

Straight  as  an  arrow  she  headed  to  the 
north  on  some  mission  well-known  to  herself, 
moving  like  a  shadow  and  at  a  rapid  pace. 
Before  long  the  windfall  with  the  giant  cotton- 
wood  containing  the  precious  little  Warruk 
had  been  left  far  behind.  Suma  knew  where 
the  round,  red  chonta  nuts  grew  and  that 
they  ripened  during  the  season  of  rains;  and 
that  even  now  the  ground  was  covered  with 
the  tasty  morsels.  But  this  knowledge  was 
of  a  vague  nature  only  and  interested  her 
but  indirectly  What  was  far  more  important 
was  that  the  peccary  herds  fed  on  the  chonta 
nuts  and  were  sure  to  be  in  the  neighborhood 
of  their  favorite  feeding-grounds. 

To  stalk  and  kill  one  of  the  ferocious  little 
animals  entailed  a  great  deal  of  danger — to 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  47 

the  inexperienced  hunter,  but  Suma  feared 
them  not.  Never,  since  the  time  she  had 
miscalculated  the  distance  of  the  spring  and 
had  succeeded  only  in  slightly  wounding 
her  quarry — with  the  resultant  squeal  of 
terror  and  the  onrush  of  fully  a  hundred  of 
the  stricken  one's  fellows,  and  the  night  of 
uncertainty  spent  in  the  treetop,  had  they 
given  her  any  trouble.  But  all  that  is 
another  story  as  likely  as  not  to  repeat  itself 
in  the  life  of  Warruk  for  it  seemed  that  trouble 
with  a  peccary  herd  fell  to  the  lot  of  every 
Jaguar  and  was  part  of  his  education. 

The  clump  of  chonta  trees  grew  a  good 
five  miles  from  the  windfall.  Suma  had 
covered  half  the  distance  when  a  sharp  odor 
in  the  air  caused  her  to  stop  and,  standing 
like  an  exquisitely  chiselled  statue,  with 
tensed  muscles  and  alert  poise,  to  drink  deeply 
the  scent-laden  air.  The  vision  of  a  peccary 
dinner  left  her  instantly  and  her  pink  tongue 
stole  out  gently  until  it  touched  her  moist, 
black  nose  in  anticipation  of  a  far  more  satis- 
fying gorge  on  venison. 


48          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

A  moment  later  the  Jaguar  resumed  her 
journey  but,  in  a  different  direction.  She 
had  swerved  at  right  angles  to  her  former 
course  and  was  hot  on  the  trail  of  the  deer. 

Like  a  shadow  Suma  seemed  to  flow  over  the 
ground,  looking  neither  to  right  nor  left,  the 
massive  paws  falling  with  the  lightness  of 
leaves  dropping  from  the  trees.  A  frightened 
agouti  scampered  across  her  path  and  stopped, 
frozen  with  fear,  and  a  green  ribbonlike  snake 
drooping  in  festoons  from  a  low-growing 
branch  hastily  drew  up  its  coils  as  the  big 
cat  passed  below. 

Again  Suma  paused  to  sniff  the  air,  then 
advanced;  but  this  time  in  a  careless,  leisurely 
manner.  In  a  moment  she  came  upon  the 
deer  standing  in  an  open  little  glade  among 
the  dark  tree  trunks.  If  the  creature  was 
startled  by  the  appearance  of  the  Jaguar,  it 
gave  no  indication  of  the  fact.  It  snorted 
and  stamped  its  forefeet  while  Suma  sat  down 
on  the  wet  leaves  and  surveyed  her  intended 
victim  in  the  most  unconcerned  manner. 
For  a  moment  the  two  stared  at  one  another. 


CLAWS  AND   FANGS  49 

Then,  without  warning,  the  brocket  turned 
and  darted  away. 

Suma  did  not  follow.  Instead  she  arose 
and  began  to  search  the  neighborhood,  for 
the  other  creature's  actions  plainly  betrayed 
the  fact  that  she  had  a  fawn  hidden  nearby. 
Why  exhaust  herself  in  a  fruitless  chase  after 
the  fleeting  mother  whose  speed  was  so  much 
greater  than  her  own  and  who  had  dashed 
away  simply  to  deceive  her  foe  and  in  the 
hope  of  drawing  her  from  the  spot  where  her 
offspring  was  concealed?  The  fawn,  far  more 
desirable  than  its  elder  could  be  had  for  the 
mere  finding. 

But  the  fawn,  had  already  learned  one  of 
the  most  important  lessons  of  life  and  this 
bit  of  knowledge  had  saved  him  from  an 
untimely  end  no  fewer  than  seven  times  during 
his  ten  days  on  earth. 

Now,  the  fawn  was  prettily  spotted,  and 
most  persons  who  delve  into  such  matters 
and  try  to  reconcile  cause  and  effect,  partic- 
ularly from  a  distant  point  of  view,  would 
have  said  that  this  coloration  was  the  means 


50          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

of  rendering  it,  crouching  among  the  ferns 
with  head  and  neck  flattened  to  the  ground, 
invisible  to  its  enemies.  But  the  truth  of 
the  matter  was  that  its  color  had  nothing  to  do 
with  its  security.  During  the  hours  of  dusk 
and  darkness  when  the  predaceous  animals 
came  out  to  hunt,  the  fawn  might  have  been 
red  or  blue  or  green  so  far  as  its  color  was 
concerned  with  its  safety,  for  in  the  gloom  of 
the  jungle  all  objects  not  snowy  white  ap- 
peared black  if  they  could  be  distinguished 
at  all.  The  important  thing  was  that  it  lay 
motionless — had  been  in  this  identical  position 
for  some  time,  and  so  long  as  it  did  not  move  it 
gave  off  no  scent.  It  was  for  this  same  reason 
that  the  tinamou  and  quail  and  other  ground- 
nesting  birds  escaped  the  keen  noses  of  the 
foxes,  otherwise  they  would  have  been  exter- 
minated long  ago.  The  preying  animals  hun- 
ted by  scent,  not  by  sight. 

If  the  brocket  mother,  after  her  wild  dash 
in  the  hope  of  luring  Suma  from  the  spot  had 
only  stayed  away  both  she  and  her  offspring 
would  have  been  safe.  But,  finding  that  her 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  51 

ruse  had  been  unsuccessful  she  anxiously 
returned.  The  Jaguar  sensed  her  coming  and 
waited;  the  snort  and  impatient  stamp  that 
announced  her  arrival  was  superfluous  for 
Suma  had  seen  her  approach. 

Again  the  deer  tried  to  lead  her  enemy  away, 
trotting  off  a  few  paces  and  turning  to  look 
back  with  large,  questioning  eyes.  The  big 
cat  merely  sat  upright  and  yawned  as  if  bored 
by  the  proceedings.  The  brocket  retraced  her 
steps,  but  the  Jaguar  seemed  not  to  notice 
and  began  to  wash  one  of  her  massive  paws. 
By  this  time  the  deer  was  thoroughly  aroused; 
she  grunted  and  stamped  her  feet  and  pivoted 
this  way  and  that.  Suma,  while  feigning 
indifference,  eagerly  watched  each  movement 
and  when  the  brocket,  finally,  frantic  with 
apprehension  made  one  of  her  quick  turns 
the  Jaguar  glided  forward  a  few  steps  and 
sprang.  Like  a  flash  she  catapulted  through 
the  air;  there  was  the  gleam  of  white  fangs 
and  when  the  jaws  crunched  together  they 
closed  upon  the  neck  of  the  unfortunate  deer, 
crushing  the  vertebra.  A  second  swift  lunge 


52 

below  the  shoulder  and  the  long  teeth  had 
penetrated  the  heart.  The  deer,  with  a 
startled  gasp  staggered  forward  a  step  and 
dropped.  Suma  eagerly  lapped  up  the  red 
pool  forming  on  the  wet  leaves,  purring  with 
satisfaction  and  then  fell  upon  her  victim  with 
a  savage  relish,  for  not  in  days  had  she  eaten. 
Long  before  the~gory  feast  was  completed 
the  fawn,  becoming  impatient  at  its  mother's 
non-return,  left  the  clump  of  arums,  green 
leaves,  wide  as  an  elephant's  ear,  not  ten 
yards  away  and  ambled  up  unsuspiciously 
to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  great  cat  where  it 
stood  and  gazed  with  wide,  innocent  eyes 
upon  the  fearful  scene  before  it.  Suma  paid 
no  attention  to  the  little  creature,  even  when 
it  came  a  step  nearer  and  bleated  plaintively, 
for  she  had  enough  before  her  to  satisfy  her 
hunger.  And  when  the  Jaguar  had  eaten  her 
fill  she  carefully  cleansed  her  face  and  paws 
and  started  toward  the  river  to  drink  before 
returning  to  the  windfall.  The  fawn  fol- 
lowed, so  she  increased  her  pace,  hopelessly 
outdistancing  the  little  creature  and  leaving 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  53 

it  to  the  mercy  of  the  next  marauder  that 
chanced  to  pass  that  way.  Without  the 
guidance  of  its  mother  it  was  a  forlorn  and 
pathetic  little  object  left  to  drift  aimlessly 
through  the  rainsoaked  forest  with  its  nu- 
merous watchful  eyes  and  alert  ears.  Somehow, 
the  other  creatures  sensed  the  fawn's  help- 
lessness and  the  news  soon  spread  among 
them.  Shadowy  forms  appeared  where  there 
should  have  been  none.  And  the  awe-in- 
spiring Suma  had  scarcely  succeeded  in 
shaking  the  dainty  little  sprite  off  her  trail 
when  it  met  an  untimely  end  from  an  unex- 
pected quarter. 

A  family  of  great  owls  had  been  following 
the  jungle  tragedy  from  the  black  trees,  with 
large,  glowing  eyes.  And  when  the  proper 
moment  arrived  they  swooped  down  with 
noiseless  wings  like  spirits  from  a  shadow 
world.  Monsters  of  fury  they  were,  stabbing 
and  rending  with  needle-sharp  claws  and 
hooked  beaks  that  clattered;  tearing  at  eye 
and  throat  and  flank  until  the  poor  fawn 
succumbed  to  the  terrific  attack.  Then  they 


54          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

fretted  and  quarrelled  among  themselves, 
grunting  and  bowing,  and  striking  at  one 
another  with  arched  wings  as  they  hopped 
around  their  victim.  The  commotion  at- 
tracted a  pack  of  five  short-tailed,  dog-like 
creatures  which  rushed  upon  the  scene  and 
drove  the  owls  back  to  their  sphere  in  the 
tree  tops,  while  they  cleaned  up  the  remains. 

When  Suma  again  emerged  from  her  lair, 
two  nights  later,  she  started  in  a  different 
direction.  Never  did  she  return  to  a  kill 
the  second  time  or  hunt  on  two  successive 
occasions  in  the  same  region. 

Unless  she  remained  to  ward  off  the  hungry 
advances  of  a  host  of  other  creatures  there 
would  never  be  enough  of  her  victims  left 
to  come  back  for;  and  even  if  there  had  been, 
one  short  day's  time  in  the  hot,  steaming 
jungle  atmosphere  sufficed  to  cause  the  flesh  to 
decay.  Suma  had  ideas  of  her  own  about 
spending  the  days  away  from  her  proper 
rendezvous;  and  as  for  carrion,  she  never 
failed  to  give  it  a  wide  berth. 

As   to   her   hunting   instincts,   there   were 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  55 

several  reasons  why  a  region  should  be 
shunned  after  one  of  its  denizens  had  been 
slain.  A  nightly  raid  in  the  same  place  might 
cause  the  creatures  living  in  it  either  to  become 
so  wary  that  soon  it  would  be  impossible  to 
secure  any  of  them  at  all;  or,  they  would  be 
exterminated  which  was  even  worse.  No! 
Suma  obeyed  well  the  impulse  that  guided  her 
actions.  By  visiting  a  new  district  on  each 
quest  of  food  the  game  was  not  too  greatly 
disturbed  and  its  numbers  or  existence  was 
not  imperilled. 

Nor  was  this  instinct  confined  to  the  Jaguar 
alone.  The  other  flesh-eating  animals  also 
heeded  it.  And  the  wild  tribes  that  inhabited 
the  wilderness  knew  from  bitter  experience 
that  it  was  best  to  conserve  their  food  supply 
and  that  to  waste  today  was  to  want  tomorrow. 
It  was  only  when  men  who  professed  some 
degree  of  civilization  appeared  on  the  scene 
that  the  wild  things  found  existence  impossible; 
and  the  more  advanced  the  men  the  greater 
the  slaughter.  They  showed  an  insatiable 
lust  for  killing — under  one  pretext  or  another; 


56          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

but  always  they  killed,  with  guns  and  rifles 
and — from  a  safe  distance. 

On  her  second  food-hunt  since  the  arrival 
of  Warruk,  the  cub,  Suma  essayed  to  visit 
the  margin  of  the  swollen,  raging  river  where 
the  fat  capybaras  lived  in  the  dense  cane 
brakes.  The  great  creatures,  like  hundred- 
pound  guinea  pigs,  were  rancid  eating,  it  is 
true,  but  this  was  in  a  measure  counter- 
balanced by  the  fact  that  to  capture  them 
required  no  excessive  effort.  Both  by  day 
and  by  night  they  were  very  much  in  evidence 
gnawing  tirelessly  at  the  tough  canes  and 
when  the  stems  were  finally  severed  they 
squatted  complacently  and  munched  the 
broad,  ribbon-like  leaves.  One  wondered 
when,  if  ever,  they  slept;  and  why,  in  the 
midst  of  such  an  abundance  of  food  their 
appetites  seemed  never  satisfied.  Upon  the 
first  sign  of  danger  they  stopped  eating  only 
long  enough  to  give  vent  to  their  resentment 
of  the  disturbance  in  a  few  guttural  grunts; 
but  once  the  spectre  of  disaster  was  swooping 
down  upon  them  they  made  hurriedly  for 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  57 

the  water  and  dived  with  a  loud  splash. 
They  were  good  swimmers,  with  only  the 
head  showing  above  the  surface  sending  out 
a  trail  of  V-shaped  ripples  that  shimmered 
and  sparkled  if  the  sun  shone,  and  on  moonlit 
nights.  Often,  however,  they  swam  under 
water  to  some  nearby  island  reed-bed  or  to 
the  security  of  a  burrow  beneath  the  over- 
hanging bank. 

The  rain  had  stopped  for  one  of  those  rare 
and  all  too  brief  intervals  that  broke  the 
monotony  of  the  sullen  roar  and  the  misery 
caused  by  a  perpetually  drenched  skin  when 
the  Jaguar  approached  the  fringe  of  tall, 
waving  canes.  Broad  runways  opened  into 
the  maze  of  stalks  where  the  capybaras  had 
gnawed  their  way  through  the  dense  growth 
and  then  hastily  had  turned  back  to  start  a 
new  one — just  as  a  woodpecker  chiseling  a 
hole  through  a  wall  and  dismayed  at  seeing 
daylight  ahead,  leaves  the  laboriously  exca- 
vated tunnel  and  quickly  starts  another. 

The  forest  beyond  the  canes  was  an  un- 
known world  of  lurking  dangers.  But  the 


58          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

capybaras  simply  found  it  impossible  to  loose 
themselves  from  it.  Always,  at  the  most 
unexpected  moment  they  came  suddenly  upon 
it  looming  before  them  like  a  sinister,  black 
monster. 

Suma  boldly  entered  one  of  the  numerous 
openings  for  she  knew  it  was  not  there  she 
would  come  upon  her  intended  victims.  She 
was  only  taking  an  easy  route  to  the  main  path 
that  ran  parallel  to  the  river  but  upon 
nearing  this  she  immediately  left  the  beaten 
trail  and  glided  into  the  growth  at  one  side. 
There  she  lay  in  wait  fully  concealed  by  the 
darkness,  and  the  stems  and  leaves. 

In  addition  to  the  wide  runway  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  countless  generations  of  the 
great  rodents  there  were  other  evidences  of 
their  recent  presence  and  the  atmosphere  was 
laden  with  their  scent.  Suma  sniffed  the 
heavy  air  greedily  and  her  eyes  glowed  as  she 
shifted  her  gaze  up  and  down  the  thorough- 
fare for  a  first  glimpse  of  an  unsuspecting 
victim  to  come  her  way.  There  was  but  a 
minute  to  wait.  A  black,  rounded  hulk 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  59 

appeared,  moving  with  the  silence  of  a  shadow; 
on  the  near  side  were  two  smaller  forms,  young, 
moving  along  stealthily  at  the  side  of  their 
mother.  The  Jaguar's  mind  was  made  up 
instantly;  when  the  trio  came  within  range 
she  would  pounce  upon  the  cubs,  for  they  were 
tender  and  without  the  layers  of  rancid  fat 
of  the  older  animal.  But  while  her  eyes  shone 
with  the  fire  of  anticipation  and  her  tail 
lashed  ever  so  slightly  an  unforeseen  thing 
happened.  Evidently  a  difference  of  opinion 
over  some  matter  or  other  arose  between  the 
two  smaller  creatures,  for  they  stopped  sud- 
denly .and  began  fighting,  rolling  over  and 
over  amidst  squeals  and  groans,  feet  waving 
in  the  air,  and  teeth  champing,  more  in  bluff 
than  in  menace.  Their  elder,  impatient  at 
the  disgraceful  conduct  of  her  offspring  turned 
and  chided  them  with  a  stamp  of  her  forefoot 
and  a  low  grunt. 

The  commotion  startled  a  cane  rat  which 
was  stealing  down  the  path  so  that  it  bolted 
for  the  nearest  cover  with  a  loud  patter  of 
feet,  heading  straight  for  the  Jaguar,  of  whose 


60          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

presence  it  was  unaware.  Suma  saw  it  just 
in  time  to  raise  a  massive  paw  in  order  to 
avoid  contact  with  the  lowly  creature,  but 
when  she  lowered  the  great  foot  it  was  directly 
upon  the  rodent's  tail  for  it  had  stopped  as 
soon  as  it  had  reached  the  protection  of  the 
canes.  Of  course  this  calamity  was  infinitely 
worse  than  the  noise  that  had  first  fright- 
ened it  and  the  rat  promptly  began  to  squeak 
with  a  lustiness  that  was  surprising,  the  shrill 
voice  carrying  a  distance  of  many  yards.  The 
capybaras  immediately  stopped  fighting  and  all 
three  wheeled  to  see  the  cause  of  the  disturb- 
ance. Their  eyes  caught  the  glint  of  Suma's 
burning  orbs  and  with  a  cry  of  alarm  they 
dashed  into  the  brakes.  The  Jaguar  followed 
like  a  streak  but  their  lead  had  been  too  great 
and  in  a  moment  three  distinct  splashes  in  quick 
succession  announced  the  fact  that  they  had 
dived  to  safety  in  the  river.  From  up  and 
down  the  line  of  riverbank  came  the  resound- 
ing plump,  plump  of  other  heavy  bodies. 
The  danger  signal  had  not  gone  unheeded 
and  with  a  growl  of  rage  and  disgust  Suma 


CLAWS  AND   FANGS  61 

turned  to  slink  away  from  the  scene  of  her 
disappointment.  Further  hunting  in  that 
region  was  useless.  Not  for  days  would  the 
capybaras  trust  themselves  more  than  a  few 
steps  from  the  security  of  the  waterside. 
So,  with  a  second  deep  rumble  of  chagrin 
the  mighty  cat  skirted  the  outside  of  the 
cane-brake  and  was  compelled  to  satisfy  her 
hunger  on  a  couple  of  agoutis. 

Sometimes  the  Jaguar  hunted  each  night; 
more  often  it  was  every  second  night.  It 
depended  entirely  upon  the  size  of  her  kill. 
And  all  the  time  not  required  in  procuring 
food  was  spent  within  the  cavity  in  the 
cottonwood  fondling  and  guarding  the  precious 
Warruk. 

Three  weeks  had  passed.  The  cub  had 
grown  at  a  surprising  rate  and  was  beginning 
to  observe  his  immediate  surroundings,  though 
still  unsteady  and  exceedingly  awkward.  The 
first  thing  he  saw  was  his  mother  and  he  was 
sure  she  was  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the 
world — which  was  exactly  the  way  he  should 
have  felt.  He  snuggled  close  to  her  warm 


62          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

body,  looked  adoringly  into  her  face,  and 
purred,  while  she,  proud  and  happy  in  his 
possession,  smoothed  his  soft,  velvety  fur 
with  her  tongue  while  a  deep  rumble  of  satis- 
faction came  from  her  throat. 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  the  thing 
happened  that  caused  Suma  to  reverse  her 
course  of  procedure  so  far  as  hunting  was 
concerned,  and  came  near  bringing  dire  con- 
sequences. 

She  was  returning  to  her  abode  rather 
earlier  than  usual,  having  succeeded  in  cutting 
off  a  straggler  from  the  peccary  herd  and 
killing  it  before  its  cries  could  bring  the  other 
numerous  members  of  the  band  to  its  rescue. 
Spurred  on  by  some  subtle  sense  of  intuition 
she  had  eaten  hurriedly  and  then  made  for 
her  home  where  the  cub  had  been  left  curled 
upon  the  rotting  chips  and  leaves,  sound  asleep. 

As  she  bounded  lightly  over  the  first  pros- 
trate tree- trunks  of  the  windfall,  an  infrequent 
but  not  unfamiliar  odor  assailed  her  nostrils. 
It  was  a  disagreeable  smell,  not  unlike  that 
of  cabbage  or  potatoes  in  the  first  stages  of 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  63 

decay.  The  first  tinge  of  it  lashed  her  into 
frenzy  so  that  she  sprang  forward  in  great 
leaps  risking  the  breaking  of  her  legs  in  the 
jam  of  branches  and  tangled  creepers.  Her 
only  thought  was  of  her  little  one.  Had  she 
arrived  in  time  to  save  him  from  a  horrible 
fate,  or  should  she  find  the  lair  empty? 

Near  the  entrance  to  the  cavity  she  stopped 
with  a  terrible  growl.  The  sinewy  body  of  a 
great  snake — a  bushmaster, — was  gliding  rap- 
idly into  the  opening;  in  fact,  half  its  scale-cov- 
ered length  had  already  disappeared  from  view. 
This  was  an  advantage  to  the  Jaguar  for  the 
head  with  its  death-dealing  fangs,  being  in 
the  cavity,  was  rendered  harmless  unless  the 
serpent  had  heard  her  coming  and  had  doubled 
back  with  the  lightning  speed  of  which  it  was 
capable.  But,  so  fixed  was  its  attention  upon 
the  still  sleeping  cub  that  it  had  heard  nothing 
until  the  growl  apprised  it  of  the  presence  of 
danger;  and  then  it  was  too  late.  The 
great  paw  fell  upon  the  back  of  the  reptile 
with  a  crash,  shattering  the  bones  and  crushing 
the  flesh  into  a  pulp.  Out  of  the  cavity  darted 


64          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

the  arrow-shaped  head,  hissing  and  lunging 
frantically  and  blindly  in  all  directions,  while 
the  latter  half  of  the  body  writhed  impotently 
and  twisted  itself  into  knots;  but  the  snake 
could  not  move  from  the  spot. 

Suma  drew  back  to  a  safe  distance  and 
waited,  and  before  long  the  contortions  of 
the  great  serpent  became  less  violent;  then 
they  stopped  altogether,  but  the  triangular 
head  raised  above  the  mass  of  coils  was  turned 
toward  the  crouching  Jaguar  while  the  greenish 
eyes  glared  at  her  with  a  demoniacal  hate. 
Suma  knew  her  enemy  well;  to  move  sud- 
denly was  to  invite  the  deadly  stroke.  So  she 
began  creeping,  so  slowly  and  so  evenly  that 
it  was  impossible  to  detect  the  slightest 
motion.  Inch  by  inch  she  advanced  but  not 
for  an  instant  did  her  eyes  leave  those  of  the 
snake.  The  latter  took  no  note  of  this 
strategy  or  else  seemed  spell-bound  by  the 
blazing  eyes  of  its  adversary.  Nearer  and 
nearer  she  came,  even  more  slowly  than  before, 
with  tense  muscles  ready  to  carry  her  far 
to  one  side  should  the  snake  suddenly  awake 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  65 

to  its  peril  and  strike.  At  last  but  a  scant 
yard  separated  them. 

The  reptile's  black,  thread-like  tongue  began 
to  play  in  and  out  of  its  mouth  with  great 
rapidity.  Apparently  it  was  so  confused  or 
dazed  that  it  could  not  see  clearly  and  was 
feeling  for  the  antagonist  that  was  so  near. 
The  decisive  moment  had  arrived.  A  massive 
forefoot  bristling  with  claws  an  inch  long 
streaked  through  the  air  and  fell  on  the 
serpent's  head  with  a  thud,  followed  by 
another,  equally  crushing;  long,  white  teeth 
set  in  wide-open  jaws  flashed  for  an  instant 
ere  they  met  to  sever  the  mutilated  head  from 
the  quivering  body.  In  a  moment  the  snake 
had  been  clawed  and  mauled  into  a  mass  of 
pulp,  and  leaving  it  where  it  lay  Suma  has- 
tened to  the  side  of  the  now  wide  awake 
Warruk.  She  pushed  him  over  gently  with  her 
nose,  licked  his  face  and  sides,  grunted  with 
satisfaction  and  then  curled  up  beside  him. 

When  daylight  came  there  was  the  swish  of 
wings  through  the  air  followed  by  the  sound 
of  heavy  bodies  alighting.  A  trio  of  vultures 


66          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

had  appeared  on  the  scene,  guided  unfailingly 
by  some  mysterious  sense  known  only  to 
themselves.  They  hopped  and  flapped  awk- 
wardly over  the  rough  surface  of  the  windfall 
to  where  the  dead  snake  lay  and  began  to  tear 
at  the  flesh.  As  they  ate  they  quarrelled  noisily 
among  themselves  croaking  and  sighing  with 
hoarse  voices  and  striking  at  one  another  with 
wings  and  beaks. 

The  Jaguar  watched  their  antics  with  little 
interest  and  made  no  attempt  to  disturb  them. 
When  they  had  gorged  themselves  on  the 
loathsome  repast  they  tore  off  long  strips  of 
flesh  and  carrying  them  in  their  hooked 
beaks  flew  to  the  lower  branches  of  the 
nearest  trees. 

After  her  encounter  with  the  bushmaster, 
Suma  spent  as  little  time  as  possible  away 
from  her  abode.  Knowing  that  the  deadly 
snake  hunted  by  .night  only,  the  Jaguar 
changed  her  former  habit  and  went  in  search 
of  food  during  the  daylight  hours,  spending 
the  hours  of  darkness  at  home,  on  guard 
against  any  similar  intruder. 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  67 

Warruk  grew  at  a  surprising  rate;  for, 
being  alone  the  nourishment  ordinarily  suffi- 
cient for  two,  occasionally  even  three,  was 
all  diverted  to  his  use.  Before  many  weeks 
had  passed  he  began  to  show  interest  in  various 
things  that  attracted  his  attention.  After 
spending  many  hours  in  admiration  of  his 
mother's  beautiful  coat,  tawny  with  rosettes 
of  black  dots  and  with  longer  and  softer  white 
fur  underneath,  he  wondered  at  the  length 
of  her  claws,  the  whiteness  of  her  fangs  and 
the  great  size  of  her — it  tired  him  to  walk 
completely  around  her  as  she  lay  sprawled  out 
on  the  floor. 

There  was  also  the  tender  care  she  gave  him 
and  her  solicitude  for  his  welfare  to  be  taken 
into  consideration.  She  was  forever  caressing 
him  with  her  nose  and  washing  his  face  with 
her  tongue.  The  picture  within  the  cavity 
in  the  great  cottonwood  was  a  pleasant  one  to 
contemplate.  Suma  the  mother  was  a  crea- 
ture different  from  Suma  the  hunter  moving 
shadow-like  through  the  forest  intent  on 
slaughter. 


68          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

The  hunting,  instinct  asserted  itself  early 
in  Warruk's  life,  and  quite  unexpectedly. 
On  one  of  his  excursions  around  the  out- 
stretched form  of  his  mother  he  suddenly 
became  conscious  of  a  black  fluff  of  something 
that  was  jumping  nervously  from  side  to  side. 
Crouching  low,  he  watched  intently,  prompted 
at  first  by  curiosity.  Back  and  forth  the 
object  moved,  lightly  and  without  sound. 
An  irresistible  impulse  came  over  the  cub; 
he  ran  forward  a  few  steps,  stopped,  then 
sprang  and  the  mysterious  thing  was  pinned 
firmly  to  the  ground  by  his  paws  while  his 
sharp  little  teeth  dug  into  it  furiously. 

Suma  jumped  to  her  feet  with  a  grunt  of 
surprise,  quickly  turned  and  gave  him  a 
gentle  cuff  that  however  bowled  him  over,  and 
when  he  regained  his  feet,  very  much  per- 
turbed and  startled,  he  arched  up  his  back 
and  hissed,  not  knowing  what  else  to  do. 
It  was  the  first  time  he  had  noticed  Suma's 
long,  graceful  tail,  which  was  never  quiet 
except  when  she  slept;  but  after  that  he  had 
many  a  happy  game  of  tag  with  the  tip  of  it 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  69 

even  if  there  was  the  certainty  of  punishment 
ahead  in  the  event  that  his  play  became  too 
strenuous.  While  his  mother  was  a  firm  be- 
liever in  discipline  she  was  never  too  severe; 
and  often,  after  the  chastisement  she  hastened 
to  caress  him  so  that  he  quickly  forgot  the 
occurrence. 

Warruk's  real  education  began  when  his 
mother  started  to  bring  some  of  her  victims 
to  the  lair.  For  this  purpose  she  always 
chose  the  smaller  animals  which  she  ordinarily 
should  not  have  bothered  to  kill  for  her  own 
use.  Mice,  spiny  rats,  forest  quail  and  an 
occasional  squirrel  were  taken  to  the  cavity  at 
various  times  and  carelessly  deposited  by  the 
side  of  the  cub.  Cautious  at  first  of  making 
too  intimate  advances  toward  these  unfamiliar 
objects  he  began  soon  to  look  forward  to  the 
return  of  his  mother,  knowing  well  that  she 
would  not  come  empty-handed.  He  pounced 
upon  the  lifeless  forms  clawing,  biting  and 
shaking  them  until  the  fur  or  feathers  flew, 
amid  growls  and  snarls  that  were  but  the 
forerunners  of  the  ferocious  nature  which 


70          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

would  assert  itself  when  latent  character  was 
fully  developed.  Suma  always  watched  the 
proceedings  with  a  complacent  expression, 
fully  satisfied  with  the  progress  of  her  off- 
spring. 

Although  using  every  strategy  to  conceal 
her  secret  from  the  other  inhabitants  of  the 
forest,  particularly  while  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  windfall,  the  actions  of  the  Jaguar  had 
not  escaped  the  sharp  eyes  of  a  band  of 
female  howling  monkeys  that  frequented  the 
wall  of  trees  on  one  side.  They  were  alone, 
that  is,  the  males  had  been  driven  to  distant 
parts  until  the  mothers  could  bring  forth 
their  young  and  rear  them  to  the  point  where 
they  were  no  longer  in  danger  of  death  at  the 
hands  and  teeth  of  their  jealous  fathers. 

Among  the  members  of  the  troop,  number- 
ing four,  was  Myla,  sad  and  forlorn  of  face 
and  housing  a  broken  heart  within  her  bosom, 
for,  she  had  lost  her  baby.  It  happened 
early  one  afternoon  when  the  four  had 
ascended  to  the  top  of  a  tall  tree  to  dry  their 
bedraggled  fur  during  one  of  those  rare 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  71 

intervals  when  the  clouds  broke  and  the  sun 
showed  his  brassy  face  for  a  brief  time.  Such 
an  opportunity  was  not  to  be  neglected. 
Happy  and  grateful  they  were,  the  four 
monkey  mothers,  sitting  on  the  dome  of 
green  leaves,  each  with  her  little  one  in  her 
lap  while  her  long  fingers  delved  among  its 
rather  sparse  fur.  Then,  like  a  bolt  out  of 
a  blue  sky  it  fell.  A  shadow  plunged  down 
from  the  heavens  with  a  rush  that  was  almost 
a  roar;  wide-spreading  feet  with  long,  curved 
talons  shot  out  of  the  hurtling  black  mass, 
and  Myla's  lap  was  empty.  She  leaped  high 
into  the  air  after  the  marauder  with  a  frantic 
scream  of  anguish  only  to  fall  back  heavily 
upon  the  boughs  clutching  a  black  feather  in 
her  hand.  The  eagle  had  made  good  its 
escape  and  flapped  away  above  the  green  sea  of 
treetops  with  a  cry  of  triumph. 

Myla  was  mad  with  grief  for  hours  after 
that  and  the  other  three  joined  their  voices  to 
her  barks  and  wails  of  sorrow  as  they  moved 
restlessly  among  the  branches  in  constant 
dread  of  another  visit  from  their  aerial  foe. 


72          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

But  when  at  last  this  external  show  of  emotion 
had  subsided  the  bereaved  mother  looked 
with  envious  eyes  at  the  offspring  of  her  more 
fortunate  sisters.  The  latter,  however,  were 
not  slow  to  divine  the  thoughts  that  filled  her 
mind.  When  she  approached  them,  apparent- 
ly with  the  most  innocent  of  motives  they 
charged  savagely  and  drove  her  off.  All  her 
plotting  availed  her  nothing. 

And  now,  Myla  had  observed  the  big, 
spotted  cat  stealthily  making  her  way  over 
the  windfall  with  food  in  her  mouth.  Not 
once,  but  many  times  had  she  clandestinely 
peered  from  her  concealed  position  among  the 
dense  foliage;  and  each  time  the  Jaguar  had 
entered  the  same  cavity  in  the  great  tree- 
trunk.  That  could  mean  but  one  thing;  she 
too  had  a  baby. 

A  fierce  hope  sprang  up  in  Myla's  empty 
heart  and  rapidly  grew  into  an  obsession;  but 
soon  she  realized  with  a  sinking  sensation  how 
futile  were  her  desires.  She  was  no  match  for 
the  Jaguar;  indeed,  the  mere  sight  of  the 
fearsome  beast  made  her  tremble.  Never 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  73 

could  she  muster  the  courage  to  descend  from 
her  lofty  perch  while  such  a  creature  roamed 
the  earth  below. 

In  spite  of  these  sound  conclusions,  an 
indescribable  fascination  held  her  prisoner  in 
its  grasp.  So  day  after  day  she  spied  long- 
ingly and  furtively  upon  the  comings  and 
goings  of  the  big  cat. 

As  for  Suma,  unsuspicious  of  the  existence 
of  the  pair  of  burning  eyes  that  followed  her 
movements,  the  days  were  brimming  over 
with  contentment. 

Warruk  was  growing  by  the  hour,  or  at 
least  so  it  seemed,  and  increasing  in  spright- 
liness  each  day.  He  even  insisted  on  following 
her  to  the  entrance  of  the  cavity  when  she 
departed  and  met  her  there  when  she  re- 
turned. The  fear  that  he  might  some  day 
disobey  her  injunction  and  sally  forth  alone  in 
her  absence  did  not  once  occur  to  her.  She 
trusted  him  to  obey,  even  if  he  was  different 
in  one  respect  from  her  other  children,  and 
for  this  difference  he  was  doubly  precious  to 
her.  For,  the  first  beams  of  daylight  falling 


74          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

upon  his  glossy  fur  revealed  the  fact  that  he 
was  black.  Instead  of  being  a  miniature 
replica  of  his  mother  with  her  lovely  markings 
he  shone  with  a  satiny  lustre  the  tone  of  jet. 
A  rarity  indeed  was  Warruk,  and  because  of 
his  color,  destined  to  grow  into  the  largest  and 
most  ferocious  of  his  species.  Had  the  Indians 
on  the  Ichilo  River  known  of  the  birth  of  the 
black  cub  they  would  have  beaten  their 
breasts  and  wailed,  "Sim/a  Wallah-Caru" 
meaning  "a  Black  Phantom  has  come  to 
haunt  us;"  and  they  would  have  placed 
offerings  of  roots  and  nuts,  and  calabashes 
of  milk  from  the  milk-palm  in  the  forest  to 
soothe  and  placate  the  temper  of  the  shadowy 
one. 

Warruk,  all  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  he 
was  in  any  way  different  from  the  usual,  spent 
his  waking  hours  in  play.  Many  were  the 
victims  Suma  brought  him  on  which  to  exer- 
cise his  developing  powers,  but  so  far  they 
were  of  scant  interest  to  him  as  food. 

As  the  days  passed  the  cub's  curiosity 
concerning  the  opening  that  led  into  the  world 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  75 

increased  and  as  he  looked  in  wonder  at  the 
splash  of  light  coming  through  the  doorway 
he  determined  to  learn  more  about  it.  He 
started  toward  the  enchanting  radiance  with 
cautious  steps,  but  ere  he  had  gone  far  his 
mother  halted  him  with  deep  rumblings  in  her 
throat,  well  calculated  to  inspire  him  with 
awe.  Never  must  he  venture  to  the  border 
of  that  outer  world  without  her  guidance, 
she  repeated.  Death,  or  a  thousand  mishaps 
almost  as  bad  awaited  him  there  from  the 
trees,  the  earth  and  even  from  subterranean 
places  of  concealment. 

Warruk  took  the  warning  seriously  and 
retreated  with  high-arched  back,  but  he  liked 
to  sit  upright  and  watch  the  mysterious  shaft 
of  light  and  to  wonder. 

Suma  had  gone  for  more  playthings  for  her 
little  one,  as  was  her  custom.  And,  as  she 
disappeared  through  the  opening  the  cub  sat 
for  a  long  time  pondering  and  fighting  to 
keep  back  the  curiosity  that  was  consuming 
him.  As  he  looked  a  dark  rounded  form  like 
a  ball  of  some  fluffy  material  blown  by  the 


76          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

wind  rolled  across  the  patch  of  light  near  the 
doorway.  He  glided  toward  it  noiselessly, 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  adventure.  Then  he 
stopped,  crouching  with  tense  muscles  while 
his  little  eyes  shone  with  a  new  light.  Again 
the  strange  object  came  into  view  on  the 
return  trip,  and  with  an  agile  leap  Warruk 
had  pounced  on  top  of  it.  It  wriggled  under 
his  feet,  and  squeaked  dolefully  and  for  a 
moment  he  was  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  do 
next.  Then  he  cautiously  raised  one  forefoot, 
bent  his  head  and  sniffed  at  the  soft,  warm 
thing  and  remembered  that  it  was  exactly 
like  the  rats  his  mother  had  brought  him, 
only  smaller;  but  they  were  always  limp  and 
silent  while  this  one  struggled  and  made  queer 
little  noises!  He  raised  his  other  paw  for 
a  good  look  at  the  creature,  his  heart  pounding 
wildly  with  excitement.  And  the  mouse, 
feeling  the  pressure  relaxing  gave  one  quick 
wrench  and  was  free.  Warruk  bounded  after 
it  but  it  slipped  nimbly  into  a  crevice  in  the 
rotton  wood  and  was  gone.  Exasperated  at 
being  outwitted  he  clawed  and  bit  furiously 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  77 

at  the  minute  opening  into  which  his  captive 
had  escaped,  spitting  and  growling  the  while. 
His  exertions  only  tired  him  so  at  last  he  was 
compelled  to  stop  to  rest. 

It  seemed  however,  that  this  was  destined  to 
be  Warruk's  unlucky  day.  Scarcely  had  he 
thrown  himself  down  upon  the  litter  of  soft 
chips  than  another  black,  rounded  form  hove 
into  view,  precisely  where  the  first  had  been; 
but  it  was  of  larger  size.  This  time  there 
would  be  no  mincing  of  matters.  He  was 
determined  that  the  new  prize  should  not 
escape  him.  With  a  savage  little  snarl  he 
rushed  at  the  newcomer  and  struck  it  with  all 
the  might  at  his  command. 

A  howl  of  pain  escaped  him  as  he  tried  to 
lift  his  paw  quite  as  quickly  as  it  had  descend- 
ed but  the  awful  thing  clung  to  it  and  it  was 
only  after  a  number  of  vigorous  shakes  that 
he  succeeded  in  dislodging  it.  In  his  lack  of 
experience  he  had  planted  his  paw  directly 
upon  a  giant  rhinoceros  beetle  with  bristling, 
thorn-like  "antlers'*  one  of  which  had  pene- 
trated the  skin  between  the  pads.  The  pain 


78          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

was  intense  so  he  held  up  the  injured  member 
and  wailed  for  his  mother;  he  was  in  trouble 
and  wanted  her  badly. 

Fortunately,  Suma  at  that  very  moment 
was  stealing  across  the  windfall  and  at  the 
sound  of  her  offspring's  cries  of  distress  she 
darted  forward  with  frantic  speed  and  rushed 
into  the  cavity  so  hurriedly  she  upset  him. 
Warruk  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  followed 
her  to  the  farther  end  of  the  hollow  where  she 
licked  his  foot  until  the  pain  left.  At  the 
same  time  she  chided  him  for  his  disobedience 
and  again  tried  to  impress  upon  him  the  peril 
of  venturing  too  near  the  outer  world  while 
she  was  away.  And  childlike,  Warruk  re- 
membered the  lesson  for  a  period  of  exactly 
one  day. 

Again  Suma  was  away,  working  havoc 
among  the  smaller  wildfolk.  Time  hung 
heavy  and  the  light  of  the  world  beyond 
his  horizon  exerted  a  stronger  fascination  than 
ever.  It  attracted  the  cub  like  a  magnet  and 
before  he  knew  it  he  was  standing  before  the 
opening.  His  eyes  opened  wide  at  the  strange 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  79 

scene  in  front  of  him.  Inside  the  cavity  there 
was  only  darkness,  or  gloom  at  best.  Outside 
were  light  and  heaps  and  walls  of  green  things 
that  moved  as  if  alive.  Everything  was 
dazzling  and  brilliant;  even  the  sun  had  burst 
through  the  angry  clouds  to  bid  him  welcome. 

Warruk  wanted  to  go  out  among  the 
waving,  dripping  leaves  that  sparkled  as  the 
sunlight  caught  the  drops  of  crystal  water 
hanging  in  fringes  from  their  edges,  and  to 
drink  in  the  fresh,  moist  air;  but  he  dared  not 
venture  out.  All  he  had  the  courage  to  do 
was  to  stare  in  awe  and  wonder. 

Something  moved  at  his  feet,  startling  him 
so  that  he  withdrew  quickly  into  the  shelter 
of  his  safe  retreat;  but  upon  observing  it  for 
a  while  he  concluded  that  it  must  be  nothing 
more  than  some  new  kind  of  mouse  or  similar 
creature.  It  was  dark  and  danced  back  and 
forth  in  a  dainty  manner  as  if  inviting  pursuit. 
The  cub  retraced  his  steps  and  reached  for  it 
gingerly  with  one  paw  but  it  evaded  him  and 
fled  lightly  to  one  side.  Again  he  reached 
and  again  there  was  nothing  in  which  to 


80          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

fasten  his  sharp,  little  claws.  Then  he  be- 
came more  eager  than  ever  to  capture  the 
elusive  something.  He  struck  at  it,  ran  after 
it  and  jumped  on  top  of  it  but  it  always 
escaped  him;  for,  the  puzzling  thing  was  only 
the  shadow  cast  by  a  bunch  of  trumpet- 
flower  dangling  high  overhead. 

The  antics  of  Warruk  had  not  escaped  the 
watchful  eye  of  Myla,  the  bereft  monkey. 
And  in  her  eagerness  to  see  the  better  she 
descended  to  the  lower  branches  and  leaned 
far  out  over  the  ridge  of  the  windfall.  How 
the  actions  of  the  cub  reminded  her  of  those 
of  her  own  little  one!  And  how  she  longed 
to  clasp  the  small  form  in  her  arms!  To  feel 
it  near  her  breast  and  to  stroke  its  silky  fur. 
The  mother-love  was  strong  in  Myla  and  her 
loss  still  caused  her  untold  agony. 

As  she  watched,  with  yearning  heart,  she 
suddenly  became  aware  of  the  appearance  of 
Suma  on  the  far  edge  of  the  upheaved  barrier 
and  with  a  sob  she  realized  that  in  a  moment 
her  joy  would  be  ended.  The  little  creature 
would  disappear  into  the  dark  cavity  with  its 


CLAWS  AND  FANGS  81 

mother;  perhaps  she  should  never  see  it  again. 

An  impulse  that  smothered  all  fear,  all 
caution  swept  over  her  with  an  urge  that 
defied  resistance;  and  dropping  to  the  tangle 
of  forest  wreckage  she  bounded  to  the  cub's 
side,  seized  him  and  clasping  him  in  one  arm 
sped  back  to  the  trees. 

Suma  had  seen  it  all;  but  in  spite  of  every 
effort  had  been  unable  to  reach  the  thief 
before  she  swung  gracefully  into  the  branches 
and  made  for  the  denser  growth  of  the  in- 
terior. Mad  with  hate  and  fury  she  raced 
along  the  ground  roaring  and  whining  in  turn 
while  Myla  bounded  through  the  leafy  canopy 
high  overhead;  and  in  chorus  with  the  cries 
of  anguish  from  below,  and  the  triumphant 
chatter  of  the  monkey,  came  the  screams  of 
Warruk  terror-striken  and  helpless,  rushing 
headlong  to  certain  doom. 


CHAPTER  IV 
AS  IT  WAS  IN  THE  BEGINNING 

In  stealing  Warruk,  the  Jaguar  cub,  the 
howling  monkey  acted  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  She  had  been  disconsolate  since  the 
loss  of  her  own  baby,  stolen  from  her  lap  by 
a  pitiless  eagle  and  borne  away  in  the  sharp 
talons  as  the  marauder  skimmed  the  level 
expanse  of  tree-tops  to  its  nest  on  the  bleak 
mountainside. 

But  not  until  she  was  leaping  through  the 
tops  of  the  tall  trees  did  she  regain  her  nor- 
mal senses  and  feel  reasonably  safe;  she  even 
stopped  occasionally  to  look  in  triumph  at  the 
outraged  mother  fuming  and  threatening  so 
far  below.  When  she  reached  the  heavier 
growth  covering  the  foothills  she  stopped  to 
examine  the  little  creature  in  her  arms. 

Myla's  heart  beat  with  ecstacy  as  she 
surveyed  her  small  captive.  She  held  him  at 

arm's  length,  turned  him  around  slowly  and 

82 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         83 

felt  of  his  ears  and  feet,  for  by  this  time  War- 
ruk  had  stopped  struggling  but  continued  his 
plaintive  whining.  Then  she  drew  closer  and 
peered  into  his  face;  but  the  moment  she  did 
this  the  cub's  forepaws  shot  out,  inflicting 
parallel  rows  of  deep,  painful  scratches  in  her 
cheeks.  The  monkey  bounded  upward  and 
nearly  lost  her  footing  as  she  screeched  in 
surprise  and  resentment;  then  she  drew  back 
her  free  hand  as  if  to  give  him  a  cufT  but 
instead,  quickly  stooped  and  gave  him  a 
sharp  nip  in  the  back  of  the  neck.  But  re- 
morse overcame  her  immediately  so  she  placed 
the  little  form  across  her  lap  and  gently 
stroked  his  fur.  This  was  soothing  indeed  to 
the  terrified  and  exhausted  Warruk  and  soon 
he  stopped  whining  and  lay  helplessly  gazing 
at  his  unfamiliar  surroundings. 

It  did  not  take  Myla  long  to  discover  that 
the  possession  of  her  fosterchild  did  not  bring 
her  the  joy  she  had  anticipated  for  he  was 
most  unlike  her  own  unfortunate  offspring. 
He  ignored  the  choice  fruits  and  buds  she 
picked  for  him,  repaid  her  caresses  with 


84          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

scratches,  screams  and  snarls  or  received  them 
in  the  most  indifferent  manner  in  those  rare 
intervals  when  he  did  not  violently  resent 
them.  Myla  was  in  a  quandary.  Should  she 
restore  him  to  his  mother  by  taking  him  back 
to  the  windfall  ?  Should  she  desert  him  in  the 
treetops,  or  should  she  cast  him  to  the  ground 
and  thus  be  rid  of  him  quickly  and  without 
trouble?  No!  She  had  longed  for  him,  had 
risked  her  life  to  gain  possession  of  him,  and 
she  would  keep  him  against  all  odds.  He  did 
not  fill  the  void  left  in  her  heart  by  the  inroad 
of  the  ruthless  eagle;  he  did  drive  her  to  the 
point  of  distraction;  but  he  was  new  and 
interesting  just  as  a  doll  or  a  mirror  or  a 
rubber  ball  would  have  been. 

As  for  Warruk,  he  was  far  from  having  an 
enjoyable  time.  At  first  he  was  terrified  at 
the  great  creature  that  clutched  him  so 
closely  he  could  scarcely  breathe.  He  strug- 
gled, bluffed,  clawed  and  bit  his  captor  but 
she  was  tolerant  and  agile  and  usually  for- 
gave him  or  managed  to  hold  him  in  such  a 
way  that  his  outbursts  were  futile. 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         85 

The  cub  was  frightened  at  being  so  high 
above  the  ground;  at  the  prodigious  leaps 
taken  by  his  abductor;  at  the  strange  calls 
of  the  birds  and  at  the  wind  screeching 
through  the  branches;  and  at  the  hundred 
other  new  and  terrifying  things.  When  night 
came  he  was  more  frightened  than  ever.  He 
wanted  his  mother.  Why  did  she  not  come 
with  the  customary  dainty  for  him?  It  was 
dry  and  cozy  in  the  hollow  in  the  giant 
cottonwood  and  he  missed  the  daily  game  of 
rough  and  tumble.  In  the  tree-tops  it  was 
cold  and  damp. 

The  monkey  seemed  to  divine  his  thoughts 
but  in  reality  was  thinking  only  of  her  own 
comfort  and  safety.  She  chose  a  tall  palm 
with  spine-covered  trunk  and  broad  leaves  for 
her  sleeping  place.  And  when  she  was  snugly 
ensconced  under  the  umbrella-like  top  which 
the  rain  could  not  penetrate  Warruk  was 
truly  grateful  for  the  warmth  and  shelter  and 
promptly  fell  asleep.  Once  during  the  hours 
of  darkness  he  awoke  with  a  start;  from  below 
had  come  the  sound  of  a  familiar  voice,  faint 


86          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

but  unmistakable.  Myla  too  had  been 
awakened  and  stirred  uneasily.  But  as  the 
sound  was  not  repeated  the  monkey  again 
slept  while  the  cub  felt  a  first,  faint  ray  of 
hope  and  happiness,  for  he  knew  that  his 
mother  had  not  deserted  him;  in  fact,  was 
even  then  close  at  hand  and  would  come  to 
his  assistance  at  the  proper  time. 

All  through  the  hours  of  night  Myla  hugged 
the  little  form  close  to  her  body.  When  he 
whimpered  or  struggled  she  quieted  him  by 
stroking  his  head  and  back,  making  soft, 
cooing  sounds  the  while. 

When  daylight  came  the  monkey  again 
examined  and  admired  her  newly  adopted 
little  one.  It  was  raining,  as  usual,  and  not 
until  the  day  was  well  advanced  did  she 
venture  from  the  protection  afforded  by  the 
roof-like  palm-leaves  overhead.  Even  then  she 
did  not  leave  from  choice.  Grim  necessity 
drove  her  from  her  snug  retreat — the  necessity 
of  procuring  food.  And  as  for  Warruk,  he 
was  so  hungry  he  could  think  of  nothing  else. 
He  forgot  his  great  fear,  his  resentment 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         87 

toward  his  captor,  even  his  longing  for  his 
mother;  what  he  wanted  more  than  anything 
else  in  the  world  was  something  to  eat.  Never 
had  he  been  so  famished. 

Myla  knew  where  a  clump  of  wild  figs  were 
bending  under  their  burden  of  ripe  fruit  and 
she  hastened  to  the  spot.  The  wild  fig  was 
a  terrible  thing.  It  started  as  a  slender 
creeper  feeling  its  way  toward  the  light  above 
the  vast  expanse  of  forest  roof,  clinging 
lightly  to  the  trunk  of  some  tall,  sturdy  tree. 
As  it  climbed,  stealthily,  like  a  viper  stealing 
upon  its  victim,  it  sent  out  slender  tendrils 
that  completely  encircled  its  support;  and 
when  its  crown  reached  the  bright  sunlight 
high  above  the  ground  the  slender  stem 
quickly  thickened  to  massive  proportions  and 
the  tendrils  widened  into  bands  like  steel  that 
tightened  and  strangled  the  life  out  of  the 
helpless  tree.  Then  the  fig  blossomed  and 
brought  forth  its  small,  red  fruit. 

Myla  was  fond  of  the  juicy  berries;  so  were 
the  other  members  of  her  tribe  and  the  bird 
hosts  including  even  some  of  the  flycatchers. 


88          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Reaching  the  feeding  place,  the  monkey 
climbed  nimbly  into  the  branches,  venturing 
as  far  as  she  dared;  then  she  reached  out 
with  one  hand  and  drew  the  springy  tips  of 
the  limbs  toward  her,  picking  the  luscious 
morsels  with  her  mouth. 
•.  Warruk  watched  her  eat  and  knew  what  she 
was  doing.  When  he  whimpered  suggestively 
she  pulled  down  a  branch  very  low  and 
waited  for  him  to  eat.  But  the  food  was  un- 
known to  him  so  he  ignored  it.  Myla  seemed 
offended  at  his  refusal  and  proceeded  to 
devour  the  berries  without  ceremony. 

An  hour  later  the  monkey's  sharp  eyes 
detected  the  nest  of  a  toucan  made  in  the 
hollow  of  a  thick  branch.  An  opening  much 
like  the  doorway  to  a  woodpecker's  abode  led 
into  a  spacious  cavity  on  the  bottom  of  which 
reposed  two  fat,  ugly  fledgelings.  As  yet 
their  bodies  were  naked  excepting  only  for 
dark  rows  of  pin  feathers  bursting  through 
their  sheathes;  and  their  bills  were  very  short 
instead  of  long  and  thick  like  those  of  their 
elders. 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         89 

When  the  monkey,  after  peering  intently  in- 
to the  opening  for  some  time  finally  reached 
into  it  and  drew  out  one  of  the  struggling 
young  birds,  Warruk's  interest  was  aroused 
at  once.  He  made  a  lunge  for  it  and  seizing  it 
in  his  mouth  growled  so  menacingly  while  his 
claws  dug  deeply  in  Myla's  side  that  she 
hastened  to  put  him  down  on  the  branch 
while  she  withdrew  a  short  distance  to  watch 
the  proceedings.  Free  of  his  captor  the  cub 
crouched  low  and  greedily  devoured  the  prize 
while  Myla  hopped  up  and  down  excitedly  and 
screeched  and  chattered  her  opinion  of  the 
unexpected  sight.  The  parent  birds,  feeding 
in  a  nearby  tree,  heard  the  commotion  and 
surmised  that  it  spelled  disaster  for  their 
brood.  They  stopped  plucking  fruits  with 
their  long  beaks  and  tossing  them  into  their 
throats  and  flew  heavily  to  their  nesting  tree. 
The  spectacle  that  greeted  their  eyes  filled 
them  with  consternation.  They  rattled  and 
clattered  their  horny  mandibles  and  yelped 
dog-like  while  they  swung  about  the  branches 
like  the  accomplished  acrobats  they  were 


90          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Their  cries  of  distress  brought  others  of  their 
tribe  from  a  distance  who  lent  their  voices  to 
the  din  until  the  tree-tops  were  filled  with  a 
screeching,  whirling  mob. 

This  demonstration  unnerved  the  monkey. 
She  snatched  up  the  cub  still  clinging  to  his 
unfinished  meal,  and  darted  away  at  break- 
neck speed.  Her  show  of  fright  gave  courage 
to  the  toucans.  They  immediately  took  up 
the  pursuit,  their  white  throats  flashing  a 
sharp  contrast  to  their  black  bodies  as  they 
hurtled  after  the  fleeing  monkey,  easily  keep- 
ing pace  with  her  and  nipping  her  ears  and 
back  and  tail.  At  each  pinch  Myla  emitted 
a  scream  and  increased  her  speed  until  she 
seemed  to  fly  through  the  branches  handi- 
capped though  she  was  by  the  cub  securely 
tucked  under  one  arm.  And  Warruk,  unable 
to  fathom  the  new  calamity  that  had  be- 
fallen him,  clung  to  the  half-devoured  bird 
with  his  teeth  and  to  the  monkey  with  his 
claws  as  they  skimmed  through  space  until 
their  tormentors  gave  up  the  chase  and  re- 
turned to  their  own  affairs. 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         91 

The  hours  that  followed  the  loss  of  her 
offspring  were  filled  with  anguish  for  Suma. 
All  night  long  she  had  lurked  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  palm  tree;  but  the  frightful  spines 
bristling  from  the  trunk  a  distance  of  six 
inches  effectively  discouraged  her  from  climb- 
ing to  the  rescue.  Her  loud  demonstrations  of 
rage  and  grief  had  given  way  to  a  strategy  of 
watchfulness  for  the  opportunity  for  revenge 
that  must  at  some  time,  somehow,  present 
itself,  and  then,  woe  to  the  audacious  monkey 
that  had  dared  incur  her  wrath.  Her  punish- 
ment should  fit  the  crime. 

When  the  storm  that  had  uprooted  the 
trees  forming  the  windfall  cut  its  wide  swath 
through  the  forest  the  ridge  of  interlocking 
trunks  and  branches  formed  a  barrier  that 
most  of  the  ground-inhabiting  animals  could 
not  cross;  also,  the  broad,  open  space  between 
the  wall  of  trees  on  each  side  was  impassable 
to  those  dwellers  of  the  tree-tops  lacking 
wings  or  too  timid  to  descend  from  the 
security  of  their  aerial  homes.  The  monkeys 
belonged  to  the  latter  class. 


92          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Here  and  there,  however,  where  the  cut 
narrowed  somewhat  the  spreading  branches  of 
the  great  trees  met  overhead  forming  bridges 
that  were  utilized  on  occasions  by  the  kinka- 
jous,  monkeys  and  other  animals  in  crossing 
from  one  section  of  the  jungle  to  the  other. 

The  supply  of  fruits  on  the  hill  side  of  the 
windfall  was  becoming  exhausted.  There  was 
no  denying  that  fact,  for  the  depredations  of 
the  toucans,  trogons,  tanagers  and  hosts  of 
other  birds  that  swarmed  through  the  drip- 
ping branches  were  enough  to  strip  even  the 
most  prolific  of  the  fruit-bearers.  Most  de- 
structive of  all  were  the  flocks  of  parrots; 
they  wasted  more  than  they  ate.  They 
plucked  the  choicest  morsels,  took  one  bite 
and  dropped  them  or,  snipping  the  stems  with 
their  shear-like  mandibles  permitted  the  nuts 
or  berries  to  rattle  down  to  the  ground. 
Later,  when  there  were  no  more  to  eat,  let 
alone  destroy,  they  complained  with  raucous 
screams  as  they  were  compelled  to  satisfy 
their  hunger  on  leaves  and  buds. 

Myla  noted  the  coming  shortage  but  re- 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         93 

membered  that  lower  down,  near  the  river, 
the  food  supply  always  held  out  weeks  after 
it  had  been  exhausted  in  the  foothills.  And, 
all  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  the  wrathful 
Suma  was  shadowing  her  every  move,  un- 
concernedly she  made  her  way  to  the  nearest 
bridge,  a  mile  distant,  and  crossed  to  the  land 
of  plenty. 

All  that  afternoon  she  feasted,  Warruk 
spurning  the  delicacies  she  offered  him  but 
growling  savagely  as  she  drew  the  young  of 
a  trogon  out  of  its  nest  in  the  cavity  of  a 
termites'  domicile  which  was  plastered,  like 
a  huge  knob,  on  one  of  the  high  branches. 
And,  when  night  came,  tired  and  drowsy  from 
overeating  she  forgot  her  usual  caution  and 
made  herself  comfortable  on  the  nearest  thick 
limb  that  offered  her  sleeping  quarters,  and 
which  was  close  to  the  juicy  figs  so  that  she 
could  resume  her  gorge  early  the  next  morning. 

Suma  observed  the  foolish  creature's  action 
and  unable  to  restrain  her  impatience  started 
stealthily  to  climb  up  the  tree.  Inch  by  inch 
she  clambered  up  the  columnar  trunk.  War- 


94          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

ruk  whimpered  and  Myla  cooed  low  and 
stroked  his  back  to  quiet  him;  then  she 
peered  up  and  down  and  to  both  sides  before 
again  settling  herself  for  sleep  while  Suma's 
claws  dug  deeply  into  the  bark  as  she  clung 
in  dread  suspense  lest  the  monkey  should 
discover  her. 

When  all  was  quiet  the  Jaguar  again  re- 
sumed her  upward  journey  while  Myla  slum- 
bered on  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  prox- 
imity of  her  deadly  enemy. 

As  the  gloom  deepened  numbers  of  the 
nocturnal  feeders  began  to  arrive.  First  of  all 
came  the  kinkajous,  beautiful  creatures  of  the 
weasel  family,  with  glossy  brown  fur  and  long, 
prehensile  tails.  In  some  respects  they  re- 
sembled monkeys.  They  were  alert  and  active 
but  silent  as  the  very  shadows. 

The  gray  night  monkeys  put  in  their  ap- 
pearance soon  after  in  a  twittering,  nervous 
band,  snatched  their  food  furtively,  and 
departed  without  loss  of  time. 

When  the  great  curassows  reached  the  spot 
it  was  with  a  rush  of  wings  that  startled  all 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         95 

the  other  creatures  to  the  point  of  panic. 
They  were  elegant  birds,  almost  the  size  of 
turkeys,  of  a  glossy,  jet  black  color  and  having 
beautiful  crests  of  curled  feathers.  As  they 
ate,  they  flapped  heavily  from  branch  to 
branch  and  emitted  low,  groaning  calls.  Myla 
heard  their  coming  and  trembled  as  with  an 
ague.  It  was  not  her  first  experience  with 
the  curassows  but  previously  she  had  paid 
scant  attention  to  them  from  the  security  of 
her  perch  in  the  spiny  palm  tree.  Now  it  was 
a  different  matter.  She  was  alone  in  a 
strange  country  and  the  uncanny  noises  all 
around  her  terrified  her  and  made  her  flesh 
creep,  and  finally  the  nerve-racking  com- 
motion became  unbearable.  She  arose  and 
silently  started  back  toward  the  bridge  across 
the  windfall. 

Suma  could  not  suppress  a  cough  of  disap- 
pointment and  rage  as  the  monkey  slipped  out 
of  her  reach.  The  one  opportunity  she  had 
watched  and  waited  for  was  gone.  And,  War- 
ruk,  hearing  his  mother's  voice,  replied  with  a 
wail  of  dispair.  As  for  Myla,  the  realization 


96          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

of  her  narrow  escape  had  the  same  effect  upon 
her  that  an  exploding  fire  cracker  would  have 
produced.  She  cast  caution  to  the  winds  and 
dashed  away  with  a  burst  of  speed  that  made  the 
branches  shake  as  if  agitated  by  a  heavy  wind. 
The  Jaguar  quickly  slid  to  the  ground  and 
raced  along  underneath  the  fleeing  monkey. 
As  the  latter  neared  the  windfall  Suma  sud- 
denly seemed  to  divine  her  intentions  and 
sped  on  ahead,  crossed  the  creeper-covered 
barrier  and  started  up  the  tree  the  branches 
of  which  formed  the  far  side  of  the  aerial 
bridge.  She  had  just  time  enough  to  crouch 
on  the  thick  butt  of  a  limb  that  overhung  the 
passageway  when  the  rustling  of  the  leaves 
announced  the  arrival  of  Myla.  A  dark  form 
emerged  from  the  wall  of  trees  opposite  her 
and  ran  nimbly  onto  the  swaying  bridge. 
Suma  waited  with  bated  breath  and  blazing 
eyes  as  her  claws  crept  out  of  their  sheathes. 
Onward  came  the  shadowlike  figure,  all  un- 
suspicious of  the  vengeful  fury  that  lay  in 
wait;  and  when  the  monkey  reached  the 
border  of  her  own  country  and,  as  she  thought, 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         97 

safety,  a  lightning  blow  from  a  monstrous,  claw- 
armed  paw  smote  her  from  above  and  sent  her 
hurtling  to  the  cushion  of  creepers  below. 

Suma  followed  her  in  a  prodigious  leap, 
unmindful  of  her  own  safety.  And  scarcely  had 
Myla  landed  with  a  thud  when  the  Jaguar 
was  upon  her — not  to  continue  the  assault  but 
to  rescue  the  whining  Warruk  who  lay  on  the 
bed  of  leaves  several  feet  away.  She  seized 
her  cub  by  the  nape  of  the  neck,  as  a  cat 
carries  her  kitten  and  without  a  moment's 
pause  dashed  away  into  the  forest. 

As  for  Myla,  the  blow  had  stunned  her; 
and  when  her  senses  slowly  returned  she 
wondered  where  she  was  and  how  she  hap- 
pened to  be  there.  It  came  to  her  in  a  flash. 
A  moment  later  she  was  painfully  dragging 
herself  up  into  the  branches  after  which  she 
slowly  made  her  way  back  toward  the  foot- 
hills, glad  to  be  rid  of  the  surly  Warruk  and 
firmly  resolved  thereafter  to  pursue  her  own 
life  in  the  tree-tops  and  to  let  the  denizens 
of  the  lower  world  pursue  theirs  without  inter- 
ference from  her. 


98          THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Suma  crossed  the  windfall  a  short  distance 
from  the  scene  of  the  encounter  and  headed 
toward  the  east.  Throughout  the  greater 
part  of  that  night  she  travelled,  impelled  by 
a  mad  desire  to  put  as  much  distance  as 
possible  between  herself  and  the  region  in- 
fested with  the  meddlesome  monkeys.  Also, 
a  mysterious  something  in  the  air  told  her  that 
the  time  for  her  journey  to  the  lowlands  had 
arrived.  And,  when  at  last  the  shrieking 
parrot  flocks  overhead  and  the  dull,  gray 
light  in  front  of  her,  bravely  struggling 
through  the  mist,  foretold  the  coming  of  day 
she  stopped  and  carefully  deposited  her  burden 
on  the  leaves.  There  followed  a  minute 
inspection,  much  fondling  and  purring  and 
other  evidences  of  glad  rejoicing  over  the 
reunion. 

Warruk  was  none  the  worse  for  his  ex- 
perience except  that  he  had  lost  some  of  his 
plumpness;  and  he  had  developed  such  a 
strong  dislike  of  monkeys  that  it  boded  ill  for 
the  members  of  that  tribe  in  the  future. 

At  last  there  came  the  day  when  the  rising 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         99 

sun  vanquished  the  sullen  mists  that  had  so 
persistently  hugged  the  earth  and  all  the 
world  breathed  in  the  glad  fragrance  of  the 
morning  and  revelled  in  the  light  and  warmth; 
and  gave  thanks  for  its  deliverance  from  the 
clutches  of  Siluk,  the  Storm-God.  For,  the 
months  of  rain  had  been  full  of  gloom;  the 
days  dark  and  cheerless,  the  nights  chill  and 
dreary  beyond  measure.  The  pulse  of  life 
ran  high  in  anticipation  of  the  joyous  days  to 
follow. 

The  birds,  bubbling  over  with  the  sheer  joy 
of  living  raised  their  voices  in  a  swelling 
chorus  and  flashed  their  gorgeous  colors  as 
they  hopped  and  flitted  through  the  thick 
foliage  bedecked  with  myriads  of  drops  of 
water  that  scintillated  like  the  rarest  of  gems. 
Their  ranks  had  been  augmented  during  the 
period  of  enforced  seclusion  and  numbers  of 
their  young  lacking  the  grace  and  brilliant 
hues  of  their  elders  viewed  the  new  world 
with  bright  eyes  as  they  learned  the  manifold 
lessons  of  life  upon  which  their  existence 
depended. 


100        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Monkeys  howled  with  a  tinge  of  cheerful- 
ness in  their  hoarse  voices;  squirrels  whisked 
their  plume-like  tails  and  barked  at  the  sway- 
ing, sparkling  leaves;  tapirs  wandered  out  into 
the  open  places;  and  the  sinuous,  scale- 
covered  bodies  of  snakes  glided  from  their 
hiding-places  under  the  rotting  leaves  and 
prostrate  tree-trunks  and  sought  the  splashes 
of  sunlight  for  a  reviving  bask  in  the  warm 
rays. 

Amidst  such  scenes  Suma  led  her  cub 
through  the  region  of  forest  growth,  keep- 
ing with  a  fixed  purpose  to  the  direction 
that  would  take  them  to  the  vast  open 
country  where  life  and  living  were  more 
worth  while.  They  travelled  in  a  leisurely 
manner  either  by  day  or  by  night,  as  suited 
their  fancy  and  rested  on  a  slanting  tree- 
trunk  if  one  was  conveniently  available  and  if 
not,  at  the  foot  of  some  giant  of  the  jungle,  or 
in  the  seclusion  of  a  bamboo  thicket. 

Food  was  abundant  although  it  required 
almost  constant  effort  to  secure  enough  to 
supply  the  two  for  the  reason*^ that  only  the 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING       101 

smaller  animals  were  stalked — for  Warruk's 
benefit — so  that  he  might  become  a  successful 
hunter,  learning  his  lessons  step  by  step. 
But,  when  at  last  they  reached  the  forest's  end 
and  the  boundless  reaches  of  papyrus  marshes, 
pampas  and  tree  islands  lay  before  them 
Suma  did  not  hesitate  to  slay  whatever  came 
within  her  reach.  Warruk  was  always  an 
interested  spectator  from  some  nearby  point 
of  concealment. 

It  was  at  the  edge  of  one  of  the  marshes 
that  the  cub  saw  his  first  deer.  Suma  had 
sensed  his  presence  and  stood  tense  and  alert 
while  the  cub,  a  few  feet  in  her  wake,  gazed 
at  the  fringe  of  swaying  reeds  in  the  tops  of 
which  black  birds  with  red  heads  sat  and 
trilled  a  cheery  warble.  Suddenly  the  stems 
parted  and  the  head  of  a  deer,  crowned  with 
wide-spreading  antlers  appeared  framed  in  the 
mass  of  green.  Warruk  was  fascinated  by  the 
sight  of  the  magnificent  animal  which  seemed 
to  challenge  them  and  expected  his  mother  to 
hurl  herself  upon  it  and  bring  it  down  so  that 
he  could  feel  the  joy  of  possessing  it  and  of 


102        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

examining  it  at  closer  range.  But  Suma  did 
nothing  of  the  kind;  she  stood  like  an  in- 
animate thing  as  the  moments  passed,  knowing 
well  that  the  deer's  curiosity  would  cause  it  to 
draw  nearer;  that  would  be  the  time  for  the 
spring.  But  Warruk  did  not  know  this.  He 
waited  as  long  as  he  could  and  then  bounded 
to  his  mother's  side  with  an  inquisitive  whine. 
The  spell  was  broken.  The  deer  turned  and 
vanished  with  a  crackling  of  reeds  and  the 
splash  of  water;  in  a  moment  it  was  safe  in 
the  depths  of  the  marsh.  Suma  knew  better 
than  to  follow;  she  merely  bestowed  a  look 
of  disgust  upon  her  young  and  moved  away. 

That  very  afternoon  Warruk's  very  ex- 
istence was  threatened.  His  mother  had 
penetrated  into  the  papyrus  a  short  distance 
the  more  fully  to  investigate  a  promising 
scent  while  he  waited  without.  A  spotted 
form,  very  like  his  mother  but  of  much  smaller 
size,  darted  from  the  reeds  not  ten  yards  away 
and  stood  eyeing  him.  Warruk  did  not  like 
the  other  creature's  looks  and  said  so  in  a  low 
growl,  but  instead  of  moving  away  it  advanced 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING        103 

a  few  steps  and  made  an  ugly  grimace.  How 
dared  the  impudent  thing  affect  such  bold- 
ness! The  cub  was  accustomed  to  seeing 
much  larger  animals  beat  a  hasty  retreat  upon 
the  approach  of  himself  and  his  mother  and 
somehow  he  had  gained  the  impression  that 
he  might  be  at  least  partly  the  cause  of  their 
temerity.  But  this  stranger  actually  threat- 
ened him.  In  resentment  he  rushed  blindly 
forward  until  the  ocelot,  for  such  it  was,  also 
charged  and  bowled  him  over  with  a  swift 
stroke  of  its  paw.  He  regained  his  feet  with 
difficulty  and  screaming  with  pain  and  fright 
darted  back  towards  the  reeds.  Sum  a  heard 
the  cry  of  distress  and  charged  out  of  the 
dense  cover  with  a  snarl,  but  the  ocelot  had 
anticipated  her  coming  and  in  a  graceful  leap 
to  one  side  disappeared  in  the  papyrus. 

After  that  Warruk  was  content  to  leave  the 
larger  creatures  to  his  mother;  but  the  smaller 
ones  such  as  the  cavies  and  opossums  he 
dealt  with  mercilessly  and  swiftly;  in  fact, 
Suma  urged  him  to  such  a  course  and  often 
watched  from  some  nearby  point  of  vantage 


104        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

while  he  conducted  the  stalk  and  launched 
the  attack.  Then  she  walked  up  to  him  and 
rewarded  dexterity  with  deep  purrs  and 
penalized  failure  with  cutting  indifference  or 
unmistakable  chidings. 

Life  in  the  low  country  for  the  two  wander- 
ers was  simply  a  succession  of  pleasant  days 
and  nights  with  just  enough  adventure  to 
make  it  interesting.  They  never  lingered  long 
in  one  place  and  by  gradual  stages  their 
journeying  took  them  further  and  further 
away  from  the  forested  foothills  and  nearer  to 
the  great  arteries  that  poured  their  waters 
into  the  system  of  the  mighty  Amazon. 

Food  became  more  abundant  as  the  days 
passed  and  Warruk  learned  the  lessons  of  life 
with  Suma,  his  mother,  and  instinct,  as 
instructors.  As  often  as  not,  however,  some 
particular  bit  of  knowledge  was  acquired  at 
personal  risk;  and  this  latter  was  accentuated 
by  the  fact  that  the  cub  showed  a  headstrong 
disposition  to  do  things  his  own  way,  often 
impatient  of  his  mother's  more  cautious 
maneuvering. 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING        105 

The  great  grass-covered  areas  were  delight- 
ful places.  In  some  of  them  the  grass  was 
ten  feet  tall  and  topped  with  white  plumes 
that  swayed  and  quivered  in  the  wind.  Here 
the  bobolinks  were  sojourning — visitors  from 
a  far-off  land  who,  after  the  wearying  flight  of 
thousands  of  miles  over  sea  and  land  were 
spending  the  balmy  days  chattering  and 
feeding  on  the  abundant  supply  of  seeds  or, 
rising  in  swarms  of  thousands  took  short 
flights  so  that  their  wings  might  remain  fit 
for  the  long  journey  northward  when  the  call 
should  come  to  return.  With  them,  the  red- 
breasted  meadowlarks  of  the  pampas  sang  and 
frolicked  as  if  constituting  themselves  a  wel- 
coming committee  to  the  strangers  during 
their  annual  visit.  Their  gaudy  plumage 
contrasted  strongly  with  the  sombre,  spotted 
attire  of  the  bobolinks. 

Suma  paid  no  attention  to  the  birds  but  War- 
ruk,  trailing  her  like  a  shadow,  often  paused 
to  cast  longing  glances  in  their  direction  or  to 
strike  one  down  if  it  fluttered  within  reach. 

A  perfect  network  of  trails  and  runways 


106        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

covered  the  grasslands,  made  by  the  cavies  and 
other  of  the  smaller  animals  that  kept  to  the 
dense  cover  and  used  also  by  the  predatory 
animals  that  preyed  on  them.  There  were 
large  birds  also  among  the  denizens  of  this 
underworld;  one,  somewhat  resembling  a  tur- 
key in  size  and  shape  but  of  gray  color  with 
bright  red  legs,  was  encountered  frequently. 
But  it  always  disappeared  so  silently  that  it 
seemed  more  like  a  shadow  until  its  clear 
gobbling  call  rang  out  a  moment  later  from 
some  distant  spot  to  which  it  had  fled.  It  was 
usually  found  where  grasshoppers  were  abun- 
dant and  the  two  hunters  not  infrequently 
followed  its  movements  for  the  purpose  of 
locating  more  easily  the  swarms  of  insects. 
Suma  was  not  overfond  of  this  small  fry  but 
Warruk  caught  and  ate  of  them  until  his 
stomach  refused  to  accept  another  mouthful. 

One  afternoon  they  made  a  discovery  of 
more  than  ordinary  moment.  Flocks  of  rheas 
— ostrichlike  birds  were  common  in  the  open 
country.  They  were  so  wary  that  the  two 
had  only  infrequent  glimpses  of  the  long- 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING        107 

legged,  long-necked  birds  as  they  dashed  away 
and  faded  into  the  horizon.  To  pursue  them 
was  out  of  the  question  and  Suma  knew  it  for 
they  ran  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  But  this 
afternoon  they  came  upon  one  of  the  great 
creatures  squatting  on  the  ground,  head  and 
neck  straight  down,  outstretched  in  a  ser- 
pentine attitude;  nor  did  it  attempt  to  move 
until  the  hunters  had  approached  to  within 
a  few  yards.  Then  it  ruffled  up  its  feathers, 
raised  its  head  and  hissed  and  bellowed  in  a 
threatening  manner;  but  Suma  was  not  dis- 
mayed. She  crouched,  gave  vent  to  one 
hoarse  roar  and  then  began  to  advance.  The 
bird  held  her  ground  until  the  Jaguar  was 
less  than  six  feet  away,  then  rose  suddenly 
and  charged.  Suma  well  knew  what  to 
expect,  nimbly  stepped  aside  to  avoid  the 
kick  that  was  aimed  at  her  and  struck  a  swift 
blow  in  return  that  sent  a  fluff  of  feathers 
into  the  air.  That  was  enough  for  the  bird; 
she  kept  on  going  without  even  turning  to 
see  if  the  big  cat  was  in  pursuit  and  soon 
disappeared  in  the  tall  grass. 


108        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Before  them  lay  a  heap  of  smooth,  white 
objects,  larger  than  Warruk's  head  and  as  he 
looked  on  enquiringly  his  mother  planted  one 
massive  paw  directly  in  the  midst  of  the  pile 
with  a  crash  that  sent  up  a  shower  of  white 
and  yellow  spray.  The  cub  eagerly  lapped  up 
the  contents  of  the  broken  eggs  each  of  which 
held  in  volume  as  much  as  a  dozen  of  the 
hen. 

As  the  weeks  rolled  on  Warruk  grew  rapidly 
in  size  and  strength  and  the  restless  dis- 
position that  went  with  his  black  color  began 
to  make  itself  felt.  He  became  impatient 
of  his  mother's  caution  and  strategy.  Some- 
thing within  him  urged  him  even  at  his  tender 
age  to  assert  himself,  to  proclaim  his  superi- 
ority and  to  strike  out  alone. 

At  first  he  was  content  merely  to  stray  from 
Suma's  side  only  to  return  at  her  summons  or 
when  the  odds  were  against  him.  Self-reliance 
came  to  him  bit  by  bit.  He  learned  that 
mastery  in  the  wilderness  depended  largely 
upon  a  game  of  bluff — especially  when  corner- 
ed, and  on  one  occasion  when  a  fox,  far  larger 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING        109 

than  he,  advanced  menacingly  he  charged 
straight  at  it  with  a  deep  snarl;  the  fox 
turned  and  ran  away.  So,  emboldened  by 
this  encounter  Warruk  was  not  slow  to  make 
use  of  the  new  knowledge  gained  from  ex- 
perience and  encouraged  by  instinct.  He 
strayed  further  and  further  from  Suma's 
protection  and  at  last  came  the  day  when  the 
two  drifted  so  far  apart  that  the  beginning  of 
a  permanent  separation  had  most  assuredly 
arrived. 

The  cub  was  startled,  at  first,  when  his 
mother  failed  to  respond  promptly  to  his  call. 
He  realized  all  of  a  sudden  that  he  was  alone. 

As  for  Suma,  she  too  had  foreseen  the 
coming  event  but  when  it  actually  occurred  she 
promptly  went  in  search  of  her  wayward 
offspring  which  she  had  no  difficulty  in 
finding.  But  the  meeting  was  not  as  joyous  as 
either  had  anticipated.  They  heard  the  call 
of  personal  interests  urging  them  to  go  their 
own  ways  and  to  follow  their  own  desires. 

The  separations  became  of  longer  duration 
— the  pleasure  of  the  reunions  less  and  less. 


110        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

And,  presently  Sum  a  lost  all  thought  of 
Warruk  as  the  time  for  choosing  a  mate  drew 
near. 

As  for  the  cub — he  was  free;  free  as  the 
wind  that  swept  the  wild  wastes  of  land  and 
water  comprising  the  desolate  pantenal  coun- 
try. And  he  reveled  in  his  new  liberty.  The 
whole  world  lay  before  him  and  he  was  its 
ruler  by  right  of  heritage  but — there  were 
many  among  the  wildfolk  who  were  not 
willing  to  acknowledge  his  supremacy  or  to 
render  him  the  respect  he  considered  his  due 
until  he  had  proven  his  prowess.  This  fact 
was  driven  home  the  very  first  night  after  the 
parting  of  the  ways  had  been  reached. 

Warruk  was  hungry.  He  hunted  on  the 
border  of  one  of  the  forest  islands  that  were  so 
numerous.  Not  a  sound  escaped  him  as  he 
trod  on  velvety  feet,  eyes,  ears  and  nose  on 
the  alert  for  the  faintest  indication  of  any- 
thing that  might  satisfy  his  craving  stomach. 
A  full  moon  shone  upon  him  but  so  stealthily 
did  he  move  that  keener  eyes  than  those  of 
man  would  have  been  required  to  detect  his 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING         111 

presence.  Still,  at  least  some  one  of  the 
creatures  concealed  in  the  clump  of  trees  had 
observed  his  approach  and  had  given  the 
alarm.  For  here  was  the  fresh  scent  of  a 
deer  leading  into  the  thick  growth;  also  that 
of  a  drove  of  pigs;  of  agoutis  singly  and  in 
pairs,  and  even  of  an  armadillo,  but  the  ani- 
mals themselves  remained  hidden  in  the  dense 
cover. 

He  circled  the  thick  mass  that  loomed  black 
against  the  star-flecked  sky  but  saw  not  a 
living  thing.  This  was  trying  for  well  he 
knew  of  the  abundance  so  near,  still  out  of 
reach.  Furtive  eyes,  no  doubt,  were  following 
his  every  movement  their  owners  eager  to 
pursue  their  own  affairs  the  moment  danger 
had  passed. 

Discouraged,  Warruk  sat  down  to  rest. 
His  eyes  were  turned  toward  the  black  wall  of 
trees.  A  rustle,  ever  so  faint,  reached  his  ears 
and  he  crouched  instantly. 

Out  of  the  darkness  appeared  a  strange 
little  creature, '  tripping  along  so  daintily,  so 
etherially  that  the  cub  looked  at  it  more  in 


112        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

astonishment  than  with  savage  design.  On- 
ward it  came  across  the  moonlit  strip  of 
grassy  plain  and  the  soft  light  falling  upon  it 
revealed  a  plump  body  clothed  in  a  coat  of 
black  fur  with  white  stripes  while  above,  like 
a  silvery  halo,  waved  a  bushy,  plume-like  tail. 
The  stranger  tripped  merrily  toward  him, 
apparently  unaware  of  his  presence;  then  the 
cub's  eyes  began  to  glow  in  anticipation  of 
capturing  the  prize.  He  crouched  lower  and 
drew  back  for  the  spring.  Then  a  curious 
thing  happened.  The  dainty  little  creature 
whisked  around  and  puffed  up  to  twice  its 
former  size.  At  the  same  time  Warruk  felt 
a  fiery  sting  in  his  eyes;  and,  the  odor  of 
carrion  was  like  a  soothing  incense  compared 
to  the  stench  that  assailed  his  nostrils.  He 
recoiled  as  if  he  had  been  struck  a  heavy  blow. 
His  eyes  burned;  his  breath  came  in  gasps; 
for  a  moment  he  was  stunned.  The  first  thing 
he  thought  of  was  his  mother;  but  his  call 
sounded  hollow  and  unnatural  and  there  was 
no  response.  He  had  been  out-generaled, 
vanquished  and  insulted  by  a  skunk,  a 


AS  IN  THE  BEGINNING        113 

creature  but  a  fraction  his  size,  and  the 
realization  of  it  hurt.  His  good  opinion  of 
himself  fell,  and  he  needed  sympathy  and 
encouragement  as  he  had  never  needed  them 
before.  But  they  were  not  forthcoming.  He 
was  alone  in  the  world  and  must  fight  his  way 
or  perish.  In  sheer  distress  he  sat  upright  like 
the  cat  he  was  and  proclaimed  his  woes  to  the 
moon  in  a  series  of  lusty  wails. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE 

Warruk,  the  black  cub  was  alone  in  the 
world,  and  a  strange  world  it  was,  stretching 
on  mile  after  mile  into  the  hazy  distance; 
seemingly  there  was  no  end. 

The  encounter  with  the  skunk  which  had 
resulted  in  his  ignominious  rout  brought  home 
to  him  the  fact  that  as  yet  he  was  not  master 
of  the  wilderness.  Far  from  it.  He  was  but 
one  of  the  hordes  of  creatures  struggling  for 
existence  and  the  sooner  he  learned  that 
caution  and  stealth  led  to  success  while 
bravado  led  to  failure,  the  greater  were  his 
chances  of  survival  and  growth  to  the  stage 
where  he  could  fearlessly  proclaim  his  mastery. 

The  struggle  for  existence  was  very  real  and 
very  intense  but  not  in  the  generally  accepted 
sense  of  the  word.  It  was  not  a  competitive 
struggle  between  individuals  of  the  same 

114 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    115 

species,  or  even  between  members  of  different 
species.  It  was  a  fight  to  overcome  obstacles; 
a  battle  against  circumstances.  There  was 
food  enough  for  all  with  sufficient  to  spare  to 
supply  the  wants  of  untold  numbers  that  did 
not  exist;  but,  one  of  the  problems  was  how  to 
get  it  and  the  black  cub  was  compelled  to 
admit  to  himself  that  he  was  not  an  adept  in 
reaching  the  solution. 

Suma,  his  mother  had  taught  him  many 
things  both  practicable  and  useful.  Others  he 
knew  from  instinct,  an  inheritance  from  count- 
less generations  of  his  forebears.  But  as  the 
days  passed  he  more  fully  appreciated  all  that 
the  knowledge  of  his  mother  had  meant  to 
him,  especially  when  the  voice  in  his  stomach 
insistently  demanded  food  that  he  was  all  but 
incapable  of  procuring.  As  a  last  resort,  at 
such  times,  there  were  always  the  grass- 
hoppers to  fall  back  on  even  if  he  had  lost  his 
earlier  liking  for  these  insects.  He  had  only 
to  listen  for  the  calling  of  the  great,  turkey- 
like  Chunha,  follow  the  gobble  to  its  source  and 
then  gather  up  the  winged  but  sluggish  quarry 


116        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

until  his  hunger  was  satisfied  hoping,  all  the 
while  that  something  better  would  turn  up 
for  the  next  meal. 

There  came  the  day,  however,  when  the 
hosts  of  grasshoppers  disappeared.  They  had 
lived  their  allotted  span  and  had  passed  on. 
The  cub  was  reduced  to  sore  straits.  The 
"crumbs"  remaining  from  the  feasts  of  foxes 
and  wolves,  heretofore  passed  in  disdain 
were  now  eagerly  pounced  upon  although  they 
consisted  mostly  of  bits  of  fur  or  feathers  and 
fragments  of  bones. 

Not  once  did  his  courage  desert  him  in  the 
face  of  adversity.  This  was  demonstrated  the 
day  he  first  met  the  great  ant-eater — a 
curious  animal,  black,  with  white  stripes  on 
its  shoulders,  and  fully  as  large  as  Suma,  his 
mother.  The  strange  creature  had  a  long, 
slender  nose  and  a  flat,  bushy  tail  while  its 
feet  were  armed  with  dagger-like  claws  six 
inches  long.  As  it  lumbered  heavily  over  the 
ground  it  presented  an  interesting  spectacle  to 
Warruk,  but  not  one  to  invite  familiarity.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  not  dismayed.  He  had 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    117 

not  eaten  for  two  days  and  here  was  the 
possibility  of  a  feast. 

The  ant-eater  and  the  cub  discovered  one 
another  at  about  the  same  instant;  but  the 
former  ignored  the  latter  without  a  second 
thought  feeling  subconsciously  that  such  an 
antagonist  was  not  worthy  of  serious  con- 
sideration. Warruk,  however,  felt  differently 
about  it.  It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to 
attempt  a  surprise  attack  for  the  big,  black 
bulk  was  waddling  and  swaying  right  towards 
him.  He  had  only  to  stand  his  ground  and 
this  he  did.  The  realization  that  the  stranger 
was  indifferent  to  his  presence  added  rage  and 
a  desire  for  revenge  to  his  longing  for  food  and 
he  flew  at  him  with  a  swiftness  that  took  the 
larger  creature  completely  unawares.  Before 
the  latter  knew  that  anything  out  of  the 
ordinary  had  happened  the  cub  was  on  his 
back  and  with  claws  and  teeth  was  digging 
frantically  at  neck  and  shoulders. 

Warruck  might  as  well  have  spared  himself 
the  exertion  for  the  ant-eater's  hide  was  as 
effective  as  armor-plate  against  such  an 


118        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

assault.  The  great,  shaggy  animal  shook 
himself  vigorously  in  an  attempt  to  dislodge 
the  small  assailant,  but  the  cub  clung  tena- 
ciously, growling,  clawing  and  biting  the 
while.  Then  the  ant-eater  reared  himself 
straight  upright  and  fanned  the  air  with  his 
murderously  armed  forefeet;  his  long,  round 
tongue  played  out  of  his  minute,  toothless 
mouth  like  a  snake's.  Still  the  Jaguar  re- 
tained his  footing.  The  ant-eater  then  drop- 
ped on  all  fours,  leisurely  ambled  to  the 
nearest  tree  and,  scraping  his  back  on  the  low 
branches  soon  brushed  the  cub  off  when  he 
started  unconcernedly  away.  No  sooner  did 
Warruk  regain  his  feet  than  he  again  sprang 
at  his  quarry,  only  to  be  again  dislodged  as 
before.  A  third  time  the  performance  was 
repeated  but  now  the  ant-eater  lost  his 
temper.  When  his  tormentor  struck  the 
ground  he  charged  him  savagely,  striking 
with  wicked  design  and  galloping  back  and 
forth  after  his  nimble  assailant  until  at  last 
the  cub  was  forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  tree 
where  his  pursuer  did  not  bother  to  follow. 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    119 

Instead,  the  queer  creature  shuffled  to  a 
nearby  ants'  nest — one  of  a  group  of  slender, 
brown  monoliths  fifteen  feet  high  that  dotted 
the  grassy  plain  and  broke  away  a  part  of  the 
base  of  the  structure  with  his  great  claws. 
When  the  break  in  the  wall  of  the  insects' 
domicile  admitted  a  flood  of  daylight  into  the 
heretofore  darkened  interior,  the  ants  rushed 
out  in  a  solid  stream  to  investigate  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance;  and  the  ant-eater's  whip- 
like  tongue  promptly  gathered  them  up  by  the 
thousands. 

Warruk  watched  the  proceedings  from  his 
perch  in  the  tree.  He  could  tell  by  the  actions 
of  the  large  creature  that  it  was  eating  and  at 
the  reminder  of  food  he  became  frantic.  He 
scrambled  hastily  to  the  ground  just  as  the 
big  beast  ambled  away  and  lost  no  time  in 
poking  his  head  into  the  cavity  in  the  ants' 
nest  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  remnant  of 
the  other's  meal.  But,  if  he  thrust  his  head 
into  the  opening  hurriedly  he  withdrew  it  in 
still  greater  haste.  He  had  indeed  found 
remnants  of  the  feast,  just  as  he  had  hoped. 


120        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

A  carpet  of  ants  covered  his  nose  and  face, 
clinging  with  a  vise-like  grip,  their  poisonous 
mandibles  buried  deep  in  his  tender  skin.  The 
pain  they  inflicted  was  so  intense  that  he 
screamed,  rolled  over  and  over,  and  rubbed  his 
face  in  the  soft  grass;  then,  in  a  fit  of  rage  he 
raced  after  the  ant-eater  which  had  been 
responsible  for  this  new  calamity,  had  de- 
liberately tricked  him  no  doubt  in  return  for 
the  annoyance  he  had  caused  him. 

He  caught  up  with  the  shaggy  brute  just  as 
it  was  climbing,  clumsily,  a  thick  tree  on  the 
outskirts  of  one  of  the  forest  islands.  In  a 
crotch  of  the  tree  was  a  mass  of  sticks  several 
feet  across,  and  numbers  of  small,  green 
parrots  were  clambering  nervously  over  its 
rough  exterior  while  others  fluttered  about  in 
excitement  screeching  at  the  top  of  their 
voices.  The  birds  sensed  the  danger  to  their 
nest  and  were  vainly  trying  to  avert  the 
inevitable. 

The  ant-eater  paid  no  attention  to  their 
clamor;  he  calmly  established  himself  com- 
fortably on  a  nearby  branch  and  tore  away 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    121 

at  the  nest,  sending  a  shower  of  sticks  and 
rubbish  rattling  to  the  ground.  Inside  the 
structure  were  little  hollows,  each  containing 
three  or  four  round,  white  eggs.  The  latter 
were  the  treasures  the  ruthless  creature  sought 
and  after  crushing  the  shells  it  lapped  up 
their  contents  with  audible  gusto. 

Warruk  could  endure  the  scene  no  longer. 
His  enemy,  busily  engaged  in  the  pleasurable 
task  of  eating,  might  be  easier  to  handle;  or, 
at  least  he  could  inflict  painful  injury  to  his 
lower  extremities.  While  up  in  the  tree  he 
might  also  be  able  to  catch  one  of  the  panic- 
stricken  parrots  which  were  climbing  and 
fluttering  around  the  destroyer  of  their  abode 
with  frantic  shrieks.  He  dashed  up  the 
trunk  wildly  bent  on  securing  both  food  and 
revenge  at  the  same  time.  Suddenly  he 
stopped.  A  fiery  sting  pierced  his  back; 
another  bored  into  his  side;  a  third  smote  him 
on  his  tender  nose;  and  then  it  felt  as  if  red 
hot  needles  were  being  thrust  into  every 
square  inch  of  his  body.  Dark  specks  flashed 
past  his  eyes  and  a  vicious  buzzing  sound 


122        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

filled  his  ears.  His  claws  relaxed  their  hold 
on  the  rough  bark  and  he  fell  to  the  ground. 

Luckily  the  hornets  did  not  pursue  or  the 
episode  might  have  had  a  fatal  ending  for  the 
cub.  However,  such  experiences  were  to  be 
expected.  They  were  a  part  of  the  education 
that  fitted  him  for  the  battle  of  life.  He  had 
at  last  learned  that,  at  least  for  the  present,  he 
was  no  match  for  the  ant-eater.  He  pos- 
sessed cunning,  stealth,  agility  and  intelligence. 
The  other  creature  could  boast  of  none  of 
these  things;  but  in  their  stead  it  had  formid- 
able as  well  as  useful  claws,  and  was  covered 
with  a  leathery  hide  that  rendered  it  immune 
to  assaults  that  he  could  not  hope  to  withstand. 
It  was  evident  that  their  paths  in  life  lay  in 
diverse  directions. 

That  very  night,  as  he  lay  moaning  in  the 
grass,  a  foolish  agouti  hopped  up  to  him 
inquisitively  and  paid  with  its  life  for  the 
indiscretion.  And  after  bolting  the  tender 
flesh  of  the  victim  the  cub  again  viewed  the 
world  in  a  friendlier  light.  What  if  he  was 
alone,  surrounded  by  lurking  dangers.  Others 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    123 

had  braved  the  pitfalls  that  awaited  the 
weak  and  unfit  and  had  conquered  them;  he 
should  do  likewise.  Then,  eventually,  the 
day  would  come  when  he  could  assume  his 
proper  role,  schooled  by  bitter  experience  to 
hold  the  all  important  position  of  master. 
But,  that  time  was  still  some  distance  off. 
Until  then  he  must  tread  with  discretion; 
must  use  that  stealth  and  caution  that  was 
his  by  heritage.  Of  what  value  were  the 
instincts  accumulated  by  his  kind  through  the 
ages  if  he  continued  to  ignore  them?  He 
would  heed  them  in  the  future;  and  to  reassure 
himself  on  that  point  he  lay  still  as  death  when 
a  spiteful  ocelot  came  into  view  not  a  dozen 
paces  away.  So  soon  as  this  prowler  on  mischief 
bent,  oblivious  of  his  presence,  had  passed  on, 
he  sought  the  densest  cover  in  the  forest 
island  and  curled  up  for  a  much-needed  rest. 
The  first  season  of  drought  in  the  life  of 
Warruk,  the  black  cub,  was  drawing  to  a 
close.  He  felt  the  coming  change  just  as 
surely  as  had  Suma,  his  mother,  one  short 
year  before  while  sunning  herself  on  the  rock 


124        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

in  the  river.  The  urge  came  from  within 
and  past  experiences  had  taught  the  cub  that 
not  to  heed  the  voice  of  his  ancestors  was  to 
court  trouble. 

His  wanderings  had  not  taken  him  far  into 
the  low  country;  consequently  he  had  not  far 
to  return  to  the  forested  region  skirting  the 
foothills.  This  was  fortunate,  for  the  rains 
swooped  down  upon  the  yearning  world  with 
a  suddenness  that  was  appalling. 

Instead  of  the  usual  warning  showers, 
water  gushed  in  torrents  from  the  sodden 
skies;  and,  during  the  brief  intervals  between 
the  deluges  the  thunder  of  the  flooded  river 
replaced  the  steady,  monotonous  drone  of 
the  rain  with  its  terrifying  warning. 

At  nightfall,  when  the  tropical  day  drew 
to  its  abrupt  close,  there  was  usually  a  lull 
in  the  tempest,  as  if  the  elements  had  hushed 
their  ragings  so  that  the  cowering  earth 
might  view  without  distraction  the  terrible 
spectacle  that  unfolded  itself. 

An  ominous  calm  made  itself  felt  by  its 
very  intensity.  The  low,  dark  clouds  in 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    125 

rafts  scurried  past  at  frantic  speed;  through 
rifts  in  the  fleeing  masses  the  higher  layers 
were  visible,  hurrying  in  a  different  direction. 
The  whole  scene  was  a  picture  of  wild  con- 
fusion, and  then — far  on  the  horizon  the 
cloud  curtains  were  thrust  aside  for  one  brief 
moment.  The  sun,  like  a  splash  of  blood, 
hovered  waveringly  over  the  rim  of  the  black 
abyss  and  with  a  sudden  plunge  passed  into 
oblivion.  But,  that  short  glimpse  was  enough. 
Siluk,  the  Storm-God,  had  plunged  a  knife 
into  the  heart  of  the  heavens;  no  wonder  the 
skies  wept  for  months  and  months  while  the 
earth,  wrapped  in  a  dark  pall  of  clinging  mists 
also  mourned,  with  streams  and  rivulets, 
like  gushing  tears,  cutting  deep  furrows  into 
its  face. 

Warruk  knew  nothing  of  all  this.  He 
simply  felt  the  urge  to  leave  the  low  country 
and  by  dint  of  hard  travel  managed  to  keep 
ahead  of  the  encroaching  water  until  he 
reached  safety  in  the  forested  country. 

The  sight  of  the  great  trees,  the  chatter  of 
the  monkeys,  and  the  smell  of  the  rotting 


126        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

vegetation  recalled  a  thousand  memories. 
He  was  home  again — home  in  the  land  of 
Suma  and  of  plenty.  And  as  the  early  mental 
pictures  crowded  into  his  brain  he  whined 
joyously  and  turned  unerringly  in  the  direction 
of  the  windfall.  It  was  there  the  real  home 
had  been,  in  the  cavity  in  the  great  cotton- 
wood;  he  would  seek  its  warmth  and  protection 
while  the  rain  roared  and  the  storm  raged 
outside. 

There  it  was  at  last,  the  high  ridge  of  inter- 
locking tree  trunk^  and  branches  just  as  the 
storm  had  uprooted  the  forest  giants  years 
before.  As  time  passed  and  the  lower  layers 
of  the  debris  succumbed  to  the  influences  of 
decomposition,  the  mass  settled,  making  the 
barrier  more  impassable  than  ever.  The  man- 
tle of  creepers  covering  it  grew  thicker  and 
more  even,  smoothing  the  rough  outlines  and 
concealing  the  treacherous  nature  of  the 
matter  underneath. 

Warruk  hailed  the  familiar  landmarks  with 
delight.  He  raced  along  the  edge  of  the  wind- 
fall, his  excitement  growing  as  he  neared  his 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    127 

goal.  Suddenly  he  stopped;  almost  directly 
overhead  was  the  monkey-bridge  where  Myla, 
the  monkey  mother  had  crossed  from  and  back 
to  the  hill  country  and  at  the  far  end  of 
which  Suma,  his  own  mother  had  rescued  him. 
He  hastened  past.  And  not  long  after  he 
felt  that  he  could  not  be  far  from  the  place 
of  his  birth. 

Locating  the  exact  spot  presented  some 
difficulties  for  he  had  never  gone  from  the 
place  in  the  normal  way;  the  monkey  was  to 
blame  for  that.  But  before  long  his  nose 
caught  the  scent  of  Suma  and  following  it 
he  warily  picked  his  way  over  the  tangled 
ridge  straight  to  the  entrance  to  the  cavity 
in  the  cottonwood. 

He  stood  in  awe  at  the  portal,  undecided 
as  to  just  what  to  do,  for,  in  the  opening 
hung  the  gauze-like  curtain  that  obstructed 
his  view  of  the  interior.  As  he  gazed  at 
the  veil  he  detected  motion;  then  it  dissolved 
itself  into  sections  that  moved  independently 
of  one  another.  Finally  he  could  make  out 
individual  specks  that  whirled  and  danced 


128        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

with  faintly  buzzing  wings  and  long,  thread- 
like, dangling  legs.  The  craneflies  were  keep- 
ing their  yearly  vigil,  veiling  the  inner  chamber 
from  the  profane  glances  of  the  outer  world. 

An  instant  later  a  monstrous  form  charged 
out  of  the  darkened  interior  scattering  the 
madly  gyrating  insects  like  chaff  before  a 
wind.  It  was  Suma,  the  Jaguar,  but  she 
acknowledged  no  relationship  between  herself 
and  Warruk,  her  cub  of  last  year.  In  him 
she  saw  only  an  intruder  in  her  abode  and  a 
possible  source  of  danger  to  her  new  little 
one  reposing  in  the  seclusion  of  the  cavity. 

Warruk  evaded  the  charge  in  a  nimble 
spring  to  one  side  and,  surprised  and  bewil- 
dered by  the  reception  accorded  him,  dashed 
away — not  in  the  direction  whence  he  had 
come  but  straight  over  the  top  of  the  windfall. 
Ignorant  of  the  pitfalls  concealed  by  the 
mantel  of  creepers  he  hurried  on  his  course, 
only  to  break  through  the  thin  veneer  and 
plunge  headlong  into  a  black  abyss;  then  he 
realized  the  treacherous  nature  of  his  footing. 

Catlike,  he  landed  on  his  feet  five  yards 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    129 

below  in  the  center  of  a  great,  hollow  stub;  and, 
catlike,  he  almost  immediately  began  to 
climb  the  circular  wall  that  surrounded  the 
damp,  evil-smelling  hole  into  which  he  had 
fallen.  But  the  wood  was  decayed;  it  was  so 
soft  and  spongy  it  would  not  support  his 
weight.  As  fast  as  his  claws  dug  into  the 
sides  of  the  stub  flakes  broke  off  so  that  he 
could  not  draw  his  body  off  the  ground. 
He  tried  again  and  again;  but  always  the 
result  was  the  same.  Warruk  was  a  prisoner 
in  a  gloomy  cavity  and  while  his  prison  walls 
were  decayed  and  crumbling  they  prevented 
him  from  climbing  to  safety  as  effectively  as 
if  they  had  been  made  of  the  hardest  of  steel. 
After  numerous  futile  attempts  the  cub 
lay  down  panting,  to  rest.  Suddenly  he 
became  aware  of  the  fact  that  he  was  not  the 
only  occupant  of  the  trap-like  enclosure. 
A  pair  of  beady  eyes  were  silently  regarding 
him  from  a  crevice  between  two  great  roots. 
The  eyes  were  sinister  eyes,  set  too  closely 
together  to  belong  to  an  animal  of  any  size 
unless .  With  a  shudder  of  terror  the  cub 


130        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

leapt  to  the  farthest  side  of  the  prison,  for 
the  eyes  were  stealthily  advancing,  followed 
by  a  thick,  sinuous  body  that  seemed  to 
flow  from  its  hiding  place.  The  newcomer 
was  a  great  serpent. 

Warruk  felt  an  instinctive  dread  of  the 
terrible  creature  that  was  so  silently  approach- 
ing. The  unblinking  eyes  transfixed  him— 
held  him  spellbound.  He  had  experienced 
nothing  like  it  during  the  short  year  of  his 
life.  Trembling,  he  drew  himself  back  against 
the  wall  of  rotten  wood  as  far  as  possible. 
The  snake  stopped  and  from  its  mouth  came 
a  hiss  that  sounded  like  a  jet  of  escaping 
steam  and  lasted  fully-half  a  minute.  Still 
the  eyes  came  no  nearer  but  motion  was 
discernible  in  the  darkened  corner  from 
which  the  reptile  had  appeared.  The  boa 
constrictor,  for  such  it  was,  was  noiselessly 
drawing  foot  after  foot  of  its  thick  body  into 
the  chamber  in  preparation  for  a  quick 
lunge  at  its  victim.  In  a  flash  the  scale- 
covered  coils  would  be  thrown  about  the 
cub,  crushing  him  into  pulp. 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    131 

Warruk  shot  forward  as  if  hurled  from  a 
catapult — not  at  the  snake,  but  over  its  head, 
soaring  above  it  a  distance  of  fully  two 
feet.  He  struck  the  side  of  the  circular 
prison  with  a  thud,  rebounded  instantly  and 
landed  on  the  neck  of  the  great  serpent 
before  it  could  turn  to  follow  his  movements. 
The  strategy  had  been  successful.  Writhe 
and  shake  itself  as  it  would,  the  reptile  could 
not  dislodge  the  jaguar;  nor  was  it  possible 
to  entwine  him  with  the  coils  that  groped 
and  threshed  about  in  vain  for  an  effective 
hold,  so  closely  did  he  cling.  His  claws  were 
buried  deep  in  the  snake's  flesh  while  his 
teeth  had  closed  like  the  jaws  of  a  trap  upon 
the  slender  neck  just  below  the  head. 

Seconds  passed  slowly  and  minutes,  seeming 
more  like  hours,  dragged  by  while  the  death 
struggle  continued.  Warruk  knew  that  to 
lose  his  foothold  meant  a  speedy  end  for 
him;  his  claws  dug  deeper  through  the  tough 
hide  and  his  jaws  drew  together  with  the 
slow,  irresistible  force  of  a  vise.  At  last  it 
came,  a  dull,  faint  report.  The  great  reptile's 


132        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

head  fell  forward  and  the  body  lashed 
frantically;  the  spinal  column  had  been 
severed  and  -that  marked  the  beginning  of  the 
end. 

A  half  hour  later  the  long  black  and  yellow 
body  had  writhed  its  last  and  lay  in  a  limp, 
knotted  heap  in  one  side  of  the  prison.  The 
cub  was  crouched  as  far  away  as  possible  from 
the  mound  of  shimmering  flesh  and  not  for 
an  instant  did  he  remove  his  eyes  from  it. 
It  *  was  as  if  he  half  expected  the  snake  to 
come  back  to  life  to  renew  the  combat. 

When  night  came  Warruk  resumed  his 
restless  pacing  around  the  wall  of  his  confining 
cell.  The  dead  serpent  did  not  trouble  him 
now  but  he  was  careful  not  to  tread  upon  it  as 
he  made  his  rounds. 

The  air  in  the  hollow  stub  was  anything 
but  invigorating.  It  was  heavy  with  the 
stench  of  decaying  vegetation,  and  damp. 
It  was  not  unnatural,  therefore,  that  the 
cub  should  stop  to  sniff  enquiringly  at  a  thin 
stream  of  fresh  air  that  gushed  from  some- 
where near  the  floor  and  rushed  up  the 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    133 

chimney-like  stub.  That  phenomenon  was 
worth  investigating  for  the  air  must  enter 
through  a  passage  communicating  with  the 
outer  world;  and  the  cub  was  not  long  in 
rinding  it. 

An  opening  near  the  base  of  the  stub, 
caused  by  the  rending  of  the  side  when  one 
of  the  giant  trees  crashed  against  it  during 
the  storm  that  razed  the  windfall  through  the 
jungle  and  piled  up  the  wreckage  to  form  the 
ridge,  was  located  at  last.  It  was  through  this 
that  the  snake  had  entered  and  the  latter 
part  of  its  body  still  clogged,  at  least  partially, 
the  passage. 

Warruk  dragged  in  the  remainder  of  the 
snake  and  breathed  deeply  the  fresh  air  and 
thrust  first  one  forepaw  and  then  the  other  into 
the  crevice  which  was  too  narrow  to  permit  the 
passage  of  his  bulky  head  and  body.  His 
sharp  claws  caught  in  the  edges  of  the  break; 
the  decayed  wood  crumbled  away.  Encour- 
aged, he  began  to  claw  at  the  sides  of  the 
aperture  his  excitement  increasing  until  he 
was  tearing  at  it  frantically  with  no  other 


134        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

thought  than  to  escape  from  the  trap  into 
which  he  had  fallen. 

Daylight  had  come,  however,  before  the 
opening  had  been  increased  to  twice  its 
original  size  and  turning  his  head  sideways 
the  prisoner  forced  it  through.  His  shoulders 
followed  easily  but  when  he  attempted  to 
draw  the  remainder  of  his  body  through, 
the  hole  seemed  too  narrow,  holding  him  fast. 
After  one  or  two  tugs  forward  he  tried  to 
back  out  but  going  in  that  direction  too  was 
impossible.  This  indeed  was  an  unusual 
and  unenviable  predicament,  his  forward  half 
in  the  outer  world  which  meant  freedom,  the 
other  in  the  dark  hollow  of  the  stub  where 
the  serpent  lay. 

Just  then  a  flock  of  wood-hewers,  large, 
brown  birds  with  strong,  curved  beaks,  that 
hopped  up  and  around  the  stems  and  branches 
like  woodpeckers  saw  the  young  jaguar. 
They  had  been  rummaging  among  the  tangle 
of  decaying  wood,  feasting  on  the  superabun- 
dant grubs  and  larvae.  But  no  sooner  did 
they  notice  the  prisoner  than  all  thought  of 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    135 

food  vanished.  Like  the  jays,  they  never 
failed  to  take  advantage  of  an  opportunity 
to  tantalize  some  other  creature,  especially 
if  they  found  the  latter  under  distressing 
circumstances. 

They  darted  at  Warruk,  flitted  back  and 
forth,  hopped  nimbly  along  the  branches  and 
raised  their  voices  in  low  churrs  or  louder 
agonized  wails.  The  cub  was  nonplussed 
and  stared  at  the  birds,  at  first  blankly, 
then  angrily;  but  they  grew  constantly  more 
impertinent,  even  making  daring  sallies  at 
his  face  as  if  to  peck  out  his  eyes. 

One  of  the  tormenters,  unobserved  by 
the  captive,  stole  over  the  rim  of  the  stub  to 
investigate  things  in  the  gloomy  interior 
and,  while  its  brethren  were  busy  outside 
found  an  undisputed  field  for  activity  in  the 
cavity.  Swooping  low  it  dug  its  sharp,  strong 
beak  into  Warruk's  back  just  above  the 
root  of  the  tail. 

The  effect  on  the  prisoner  was  magical. 
For  all  he  knew  the  great  snake  had  come  to 
life  again  and  was  attacking  him  from  the 


136        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

rear.  With  a  mighty  wrench  he  turned  on  his 
side  and  slipped  through  the  opening  to  freedom. 

All  through  the  weeks  of  rain  that  followed 
Warruk  hunted  along  the  border  of  the  wind- 
fall; but  he  did  not  again  venture  near  the 
region  where  Suma,  his  mother  held  sway. 
He  saw  nothing  of  her.  It  was  not  until  long, 
long  after  that  their  lives  again  intertwined 
when  Suma  unwittingly  assumed  the  role 
of  avenger  and  thus  fulfilled  an  old  belief  of 
the  wild  men  of  the  forest.  So  far  Warruk 
knew  nothing  of  man — did  not  even  suspect 
the  existence  of  such  a  creature.  Blessed 
ignorance!  for  with  the  coming  of  that  knowl- 
edge the  lives  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
wilderness  undergo  a  change. 

Food  was  so  plentiful  that  on  no  occasion  did 
the  cub  go  hungry.  And  nurtured  by  the 
great  abundance  he  grew  in  size  and  fearless- 
ness even  as  the  vegetation  overhead  and 
underfoot  thrived  in  the  soggy  earth  and 
moisture-laden  air. 

When  the  rains  stopped,  as  they  finally 
did,  Warruk  instinctively  headed  back  toward 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    137 

the  low  country.  After  the  long  weeks  in  the 
rain-drenched  forest  the  prospect  of  the  pampas 
flooded  with  golden  sunlight,  of  reedy  marshes 
where  the  birds  twittered  and  animals  worthy 
of  his  prowess  moved  shadow-like  in  and  out 
of  the  fringe  of  papyrus,  and  of  tree  islands 
with  ^  their  ever-present  air  of  mystery  and 
adventure,  was  a  joyous  one  to  contemplate. 

On  the  last  day  but  one  before  the  jungle's 
end  was  reached  Warruk  came  upon  the 
vanguard  of  the  peccary  herd.  There  were 
several  hundreds  of  the  ferocious  little  beasts 
scattered  over  a  wide  area  uprooting  the 
succulent  sprouts  that  grew  luxuriantly  among 
the  undergrowth. 

The  cub  did  not  suspect  that  the  band  was 
so  large,  for  there  was  no  indication  of  its 
great  number.  The  individuals  ate  quietly 
and  moved  stealthily.  There  was  but  an 
occasional  low,  moaning  grunt  given  as  a 
signal  to  keep  the  herd  headed  in  the  right 
direction,  and  the  champing  of  the  murderous 
tusks  of  the  leaders. 

Selecting    the    straggler    nearest    him    the 


138        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

jaguar  rushed  upon  it  and  in  a  short  leap 
landed  upon  his  victim's  back.  The  peccary 
was  doomed,  but  before  the  end  came  it 
had  ample  time  to  voice  its  terror  in  shrill 
screams  that  penetrated  through  the  forest 
with  an  appalling  clearness.  Instantly  the 
place  was  in  an  uproar.  A  hundred  throats 
took  up  the  cry  and  dark  forms  dashed  into 
view  from  all  directions  surging  in  a  solid 
mass  to  the  assistance  of  their  stricken  fellow. 

Warruk  saw  the  avalanche  of  infuriated 
creatures  sweeping  toward  him.  In  a  moment 
he  would  be  buried  in  the  deluge  of  cloven 
hoofs  and  flashing  tusks  and  torn  to  shreds. 
There  was  only  one  thing  to  do,  so  he  leapt 
lightly  to  the  trunk  of  the  nearest  tree  and 
drew  himself  into  the  lower  branches. 

Before  long  the  tree  was  surrounded  by 
the  enraged  mob,  rearing  and  plunging  and 
vainly  trying  to  climb  in  pursuit  of  its 
assailant.  At  the  same  time  the  animals 
squealed  and  grunted  their  hatred  and  threat- 
ened with  gnashing  teeth. 

The  siege  lasted  throughout  the  day;  nor 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    139 

was  it  raised  at  nightfall.  So  far  as  Warruk 
was  concerned,  he  crouched  comfortably  on 
the  thick  limb  and  interestedly  observed 
the  proceedings  below,  rather  enjoying  the 
impotent  manifestations  of  the  peccary  herd; 
that  is,  he  felt  no  misgivings  so  long  as 
daylight  lasted  for  the  sun  shone  brightly 
and  it  was  warm.  But  with  darkness  came 
a  brisk  wind  that  lashed  the  tree-tops  into 
a  madly  waving,  groaning  tangle  of  spectral 
branches  and  brought  a  cold  shudder  to  the 
besieged.  There  was  no  rain  but  the  air 
was  heavy  with  moisture  from  the  saturated 
mould  underneath  and  the  chill  penetrated 
to  the  very  bones. 

Warruk  shivered.  The  cat  tribe  may  en- 
dure neither  excessive  cold  nor  moisture 
and  here  was  a  combination  of  the  two. 
The  cub  was  rapidly  growing  numb  and  it  was 
not  long  before  that  fact  made  itself  felt. 
Should  his  strength  fail  him  he  would  be 
unable  to  retain  his  hold  on  the  elevated 
perch  and  would  plunge  down  into  the  midst 
of  the  merciless  horde  that  awaited  him. 


140        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

He  arose,  stretched  his  limbs  and  peered 
down;  the  frantic  host  was  still  there  in  full 
number.  Then  he  began  pacing  back  and 
forth  on  the  branch.  The  exercise  restored 
the  sluggish  circulation  of  his  blood  and  he 
felt  he  had  a  new  lease  on  life.  Ten  feet 
above  his  head  was  a  thicker  though  shorter 
limb;  he  clambered  up  the  trunk  to  it  but 
the  moment  one  paw  touched  the  new  footing 
it  gave  way,  struck  other  branches  in  its 
downward  course  and  fell  to  the  ground  a 
good  fifty  feet  from  the  base  of  the  tree. 
When  it  landed  with  a  crash,  stunning  several 
of  the  peccaries  and  injuring  others  which 
immediately  announced  the  fact  in  loud 
screams,  the  remainder  of  the  herd  rushed  to 
the  spot  and  in  a  moment  was  converted 
into  a  struggling,  frantic  mass.  The  animals 
were  crazed  with  excitement  and  bent  on  but 
one  thing — the  destruction  of  their  enemy 
which  supposedly  had  fallen  into  their  clutches. 

That  was  Warruk's  one  chance,  provided 
by  his  timely  though  unintentional  loosening 
of  the  decayed  branch.  He  slid  quickly  down 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    141 

the  side  of  the  trunk  opposite  the  struggling 
mass  of  animals  and  darted  away. 

The  ensuing  months  of  sunshine  and  balmy 
weather  were  passing  all  too  quickly  in  a  suc- 
cession of  glorious  days  and  starlit  nights. 
Everywhere,  in  grassy  pampa,  forest  island, 
reedy  marsh  and  in  the  streams  and  lagoons,  life 
teemed  and  the  creatures  were  filled  with  the 
joyousness  of  living.  Everyone  was  happy. 
What  did  it  matter  if  myriads  were  doomed 
to  die  in  the  course  of  each  twenty-four 
hours  to  provide  food  for  the  others?  Was 
not  it  the  plan  of  Nature  that  it  should  be  so, 
from  the  very  beginning?  When  an  indi- 
vidual of  any  species  lost  its  life  there  were 
others  left  to  carry  on  the  purpose  of  the  kind 
and  the  survivors  took  no  note  of  the  fact 
that  one  of  their  number  had  vanished. 
There  was  no  trace  of  dread  or  tragedy  in 
the  demeanor  of  any  creature.  Each  uncon- 
sciously took  his  chance  in  the  game  of  life  just 
as  civilized  man  takes  his  in  multitudinous 
ways.  If  a  bird  narrowly  escaped  the  talons 
of  a  hawk,  even  losing  a  fluff  of  feathers  in 


142        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

the  encounter,  it  did  not  remain  indefinitely 
in  dense  cover,  in  fear  and  trembling;  it  soon 
forgot  the  experience  and  went  about  its 
affairs  in  the  usual  way,  just  as  a  man  who 
barely  escapes  being  struck  by  an  automobile 
while  crossing  the  street  will  not  hesitate  to 
again  run  the  same  risk  at  the  very  next 
corner.  That  is  exactly  as  Nature  intended 
it  should  be  for,  if  either  man  or  beast  spent 
the  time  brooding  over  the  many  things  that 
could  happen,  life  would  be  a  perpetual  torment 
and  probably  of  short  duration. 

Warruk,  the  black  Jaguar  lived  with  a 
measure  of  joyousness  that  was  brimming 
over.  He  was  thrilled  with  the  vastness  of 
his  world  and  with  the  possibilities  that 
arose  each  day.  There  were  adventures  and 
misadventures  and  he  relished  both,  for  each 
added  to  the  sum  total  of  the  things  he 
should  know. 

As  the  dry  season  advanced  the  water  in 
the  lagoons  fell  rapidly  and  some  of  the  smaller 
ones  dried  up  completely.  Those  of  larger 
size  shrank  to  narrow  proportions,  the  water 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    143 

receding  gradually  under  the  onslaughts  of 
the  sunshine  and  drying  wind. 

The  pools  that  lay  in  the  center  of  the  wide, 
sun-baked  mudflats  were  the  mecca  of  a  host 
of  things.  They  teemed  with  imprisoned 
fish.  Ducks  and  other  waterfowl  swarmed  to 
them.  Jacanas,  birds  with  wide-spreading 
toes,  ran  nimbly  over  the  lily  pads  on  the 
surface,  seemingly  skating  across  the  water 
itself.  And^  crocodiles  migrated  from  a  dis- 
tance to  these  havens  of  security  and  plenty. 

There  was  no  choice.  The  animals  of  the 
plains  and  forests  that  required  water  to 
sustain  life  were  compelled  to  seek  out  the 
remaining  pools  to  quench  their  thirst.  Some 
of  them  came  only  at  lengthy  intervals. 
Others  came  not  at  all,  for  apparently  they 
could  subsist  through  the  entire  period  of 
drouth  without  drinking.  But  the  vast 
majority  were  forced  to  visit  the  lagoons 
frequently  or  perish. 

And  as  it  was,  not  a  few  of  them  lost  their 
lives  in  the  midst  of  plenty.  The  sun,  how- 
ever, shone  just  as  brightly  as  if  there  were 


144        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

no  note  of  tragedy;  parrots  screamed  as 
usual;  blackbirds  trilled,  frogs  croaked  and 
bellowed,  and  the  turtles  laid  their  eggs  in 
the  hot  sand.  In  other  words,  the  procession 
of  life  moved  on  without  taking  note  of 
those  that  dropped  out  along  the  way.  It 
was  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  enactment 
of  an  old,  old  drama. 

Warruk  drank  after  each  kill.  Sometimes 
that  was  daily;  more  often  two  or  three 
days  elapsed  between  gorges.  But,  the  feast 
completed,  he  was  always  seized  with  a 
burning  thirst  and  to  quench  it  he  was  forced 
to  visit  the  lagoons  as  occasion  required. 

By  this  time  his  mastery  of  the  pantenal 
country  was  pretty  well  established.  And 
when  his  supremacy  was  disputed  it  was 
invariably  by  some  inhabitant  of  the  denser 
growth  where  the  advantage  lay  with  the  other 
creature.  In  the  open  country  there  was  no 
need  for  apprehension.  So  ar  as  the  water  was 
concerned  he  did  not  even  surmise  that  possible 
danger  might  lurk  in  the  stagnant  depths. 

The   cub   had    eaten    heavily   of  venison, 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    145 

having  surprised  a  fawn  in  the  tall  grass 
while  its  mother  had  gone  to  the  nearest 
water-hole,  a  full  two  miles  away,  to  drink. 
And  later,  to  quench  his  own  thirst,  he  leisurely 
made  his  way  to  the  margin  of  the  river, 
further  on,  for  the  murky  water  of  the  lagoon 
was  not  to  his  liking. 

A  wide  trail  led  to  the  edge  of  the  stream, 
cut  deep  by  the  hoofs  of  tapirs,  peccaries  and 
other  animals.  Below,  the  water  eddied  lazily, 
as  in  a  deep  pool,  before  swirling  away 
hurriedly  further  down. 

After  a  casual  survey  of  his  surroundings 
the  Jaguar  stooped  and  began  lapping  up 
the  warm  but  satisfying  liquid.  Something 
flashed  dark  beneath  his  nose  and  he  drew 
back  with  a  start;  the  action,  sudden  and 
violent,  mired  his  forefeet  deeply  in  the  soft 
mud.  Before  he  could  recover  his  balance 
the  long  snout  of  a  crocodile  was  thrust 
above  the  surface;  the  jaws  opened,  revealing 
rows  of  gleaming,  peg-like  teeth,  and  they 
closed  again  almost  instantly  with  Warruk's 
left  paw  in  their  clasp. 


146        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

The  cub  was  no  match  for  the  great,  power- 
ful reptile,  and  before  he  could  even  attempt  to 
offer  resistance  he  had  been  dragged  beneath 
the  surface.  The  sudden  plunge  bewildered 
him,  but  only  for  an  instant.  Then  he 
began  struggling,  frantically,  the  three  free 
feet,  with  claws  unsheathed  groping  blindly 
for  a  foothold.  At  first  they  encountered 
nothing  but  the  unresisting  water;  and  then 
one  hindfoot  grazed  the  crocodile's  back,  but 
the  tough  hide  turned  the  sharp  claws  aside. 
The  fact  that  there  was  a  footing  somewhere 
within  reach  changed  despair  to  hope.  If 
he  could  but  obtain  a  firm  hold  to  brace  his 
body  there  might  be  the  possibility  of  resisting 
his  assailant  which  was  rapidly  backing  further 
and  further  from  the  bank.  Again  his  feet 
groped  blindly  in  the  darkness;  again  they 
encountered  something  besides  the  swirling 
water  but  this  time  the  claws  held  fast  then 
sank  deeper  as  he  pushed  with  all  his  might, 
slid  slowly  downward  and  once  more  were 
free. 

Warruk  had  not  the  strength  left  to  make 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    147 

another  effort.  There  was  no  need  for  it  for 
his  claws  had  rent  into  ribbons  the  less  tough 
hide  of  the  crocodile's  throat. 

Painful  though  this  injury  must  have  been 
it  was  not  enough  to  deter  the  villainous 
reptile  from  its  purpose.  On  the  contrary, 
it  seemed  to  increase  its  speed.  Other 
marauders,  however,  had  been  attracted  to 
the  scene  of  the  combat,  first  by  the  struggle 
that  they  sensed  from  a  distance  and  now 
by  the  blood  that  flowed  freely  from  the 
lacerated  throat  of  the  crocodile.  They  were 
no  other  than  the  piranhas  or  cannibal  fish. 
In  legion  they  came  until  the  water  seemed 
packed  with  a  solid  mass  of  the  ravenous 
creatures,  crazed  by  the  taste  of  blood  and 
struggling  so  frantically  to  reach  the  source 
from  which  it  came  that  they  forced  one 
another  above  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Those  nearest  the  crocodile  ripped  and  cut 
at  the  wound  with  their  triangular,  razor- 
sharp  teeth.  And  the  great  saurian  soon 
understood  that  it  was  doomed  unless  it 
immediately  sought  refuge  on  the  land  where 


148        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

the  fish  could  not  follow.  It  rose  to  the 
surface  and  with  powerful  strokes  of  its  feet 
and  tail  made  for  the  bank. 

But  the  frenzied  horde  was  all  about  it, 
enveloping  it  as  in  a  heavy  cloak  that  dragged 
steadily  downward.  And  all  of  the  time 
there  was  the  merciless  tearing  and  slashing 
of  keen-edged  teeth  attacking  from  all  sides 
and  in  unbroken  files.  It  was  over  in  an 
incredibly  short  time — a  few  minutes  at 
most.  With  its  head  nearly  severed  from 
its  body  the  crocodile  rolled  on  its  side  and 
sank  slowly  to  the  bottom. 

As  for  Warruk,  the  vise-like  jaws  had 
opened  at  the  first  onslaught  of  the  piranhas 
to  snap  at  its  assailants  in  frantic  efforts 
at  defense  and  retaliation;  and  thus  freed, 
he  rose  to  the  surface  and  succeeded  in  swim- 
ming to  the  land  with  scarcely  enough  strength 
remaining  to  draw  himself  up.  Luckily  the 
fish  did  not  attack  him;  they  centered  all 
their  energy  on  the  crocodile  because  the 
great  gashes  inflicted  by  his  sharp  claws  ren- 
dered the  heretofore  invulnerable  reptile 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE    149 

an  easy  victim;  for,  once  the  tough  hide  had 
been  penetrated  the  opening  could  be  enlarged 
without  trouble. 

For  a  long  time  the  cub  lay  as  in  a  stupor. 
In  fact,  not  until  darkness  fell  did  he  arouse 
himself  sufficiently  to  rise  unsteadily  to  his 
feet  and  to  limp  away  from  the  bank  of  the 
treacherous  river. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH. 

It  was  the  seventh  year  since  the  great 
drought.  Choflo,  headman,  sorcerer  and  oracle 
of  the  Cantanas  scanned  the  brassy  sky  and 
smote  his  breast  with  clenched  fists. 

"Tumwah  is  angry"  he  muttered  to  the 
members  of  the  tribe  who  were  huddled  in  a 
cowering  group  several  paces  to  his  rear. 
"The  heavens  tell  me  so;  the  curling  leaves 
whisper  the  sickening  message.  Yesterday  I 
saw  the  nest  of  a  partridge;  where  there  should 
have  been  four  eggs  there  were  six,  for  in  this 
manner  the  knowing  bird  provides  against 
the  coming  destruction,  hoping  that  of  the 
larger  brood  some  one  will  survive.  Five  of 
her  young  may  die  but  one  will  remain  to 
carry  on  her  species." 

"And  today,"  Oomah,  youngest  but  most 
fearless  of  the  hunters  panted,  "I  pursued  a 

150 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        151 

she-pig  in  the  forest.  Three  young  were 
running  at  her  heels  instead  of  two." 

"The  signs  do  not  lie,"  Choflo  returned. 
"Look!  See  how  the  sand  in  the  islands  and 
on  the  riverbank  is  cracking!  Tumwah,  his 
angry.  Soon  his  fiery  breath  will  sweep 
the  green  earth,  parching  the  vegetation, 
searing  our  flesh  and  leaving  death  and  destruc- 
tion in  its  wake.  Long  days  of  suffering  are 
coming." 

No  one  spoke.  But  the  Indians  looked 
heavenward  with  terror  in  their  eyes  and 
trembled  more  violently  than  before. 

"We  must  try  to  ward  off  the  catastrophe; 
and  failing  in  that,  we  must  prepare  for  the 
worst.  Let  the  corrals  be  well  stocked  with 
turtles  and  fill  the  calabashes  with  the  oil  of 
their  eggs.  A  sacrifice  must  be  made  to 
Tumwah.  Tonight,  a  crocodile  shall  be  killed 
and  eaten  in  his  honor.  Everyone  must 
partake  of  it.  And  if  the  God  of  Drought 
be  pleased  with  the  offering  a  sign  from  heaven 
will  show  itself.  If  it  displeases  him — woe 
to  all  living  things  that  walk  the  earth." 


152        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

The  group  dissolved  itself.  The  people 
silently  went  to  their  shelters  of  palm-leaves 
dotting  the  sandbar  that  extended  far  out 

into  the  river. 
********* 

Warruk,  the  Jaguar,  was  no  longer  a  cub. 
Four  seasons  of  rain  had  come  and  gone  since 
his  advent  into  the  world  in  the  hollow 
cottonwood  in  the  windfall.  The  erstwhile 
kitten,  playing  in  the  entrance  to  the  cavity 
that  had  proved  an  irresistible  attraction  to 
Myla,  the  monkey,  and  to  her  sorrow,  had 
grown  into  a  creature  of  great  size  and  power- 
ful build,  capable  of  more  than  holding  his 
own  with  any  other  denizen  of  the  jungle. 
Seen  from  a  distance  his  coat  was  of  a  glossy, 
jet  black  color;  but  a  close  inspection  would 
have  revealed  a  regular  pattern  of  rosettes 
similar  to  that  marking  the  coats  of  his 
tawny  brethren.  The  spots  were  very  faint, 
however,  like  the  watermarks  on  paper. 

In  the  forest  he  reigned  supreme,  fearing 
nothing  but  feared  by  all;  the  same  was  true 
in  the  pantenales.  Where  the  interlocking 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        153 

branches  of  the  trees  formed  a  canopy  that 
shut  out  .  the  moonlight  he  moved  like  a 
specter  in  the  blackness.  In  the  open 
country  his  shadowy  form  was  equally  incon- 
spicuous. Quick  and  terrible  were  his  attacks. 
Like  an  avalanche  he  descended  upon  his 
victims,  seemingly  from  nowhere,  but  with  a 
violence  and  ferocity  that  bore  down  and 
crushed  and  rent  all  at  the  same  time,  and 
with  a  suddenness  that  prevented  escape  or 
resistance. 

So  far  Warruk  had  not  ventured  into  the 
lower  regions  of  the  pantenal  country — that 
vast  world  of  marshlands,  swampy  forest 
islands  and  pampas  bordering  the  great 
river  compared  to  which  the  streams  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  frequent  in  the  upper 
reaches  were  but  rippling  brooks. 

Suma,  his  mother,  had  warned  him  against 
the  region  below  her  own  well-defined  hunting 
grounds.  Once,  exactly  seven  years  before, 
while  the  world  writhed  and  baked  in  the 
throes  of  the  last  great  drought  she  had  been 
compelled  to  venture  into  the  unknown  land. 


154        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

The  streams  and  lagoons  had  dried;  those  of 
the  animals  that  did  not  perish  outright 
migrated,  and  Suma  had  followed  the  living 
stream  as  a  matter  of  self-preservation  for, 
without  food  and  water,  life  could  not  be 
sustained.  But  the  venture  had  proved 
painful  in  at  least  one  respect  for  men  dwelt 
along  the  border  of  the  master  river,  and  in 
the  very  first  encounter  with  them  Suma  had 
suffered  the  loss  of  one  ear — neatly  shorn 
from  her  head  by  the  broad,  bamboo  blade  of 
a  Cantana  arrow.  She  was  glad  to  escape  even 
with  such  sacrifice;  but  she  never  forgot  the 
injury.  The  haunts  of  the  man-creatures 
were  avoided  thereafter,  as  well  as  their  trails 
and  everything  else  that  savored  of  them. 
This  dread  she  had  tried  to  impart  to  her 
offspring. 

In  the  height  of  his  powers,  Warruk  was 
ready  to  ignore  the  warning.  Then,  too, 
the  sun  now  shone  with  an  unusual  brilliancy; 
fiery  tongues  from  the  sky  seemed  to  lap  up 
the  water  in  the  lakes  and  marshes,  leaving 
nothing  but  vast  areas  of  cracked  and  peeling 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        155 

mudflats  sprinkled  with  brown,  withered  reeds 
that  were  a  pitiful  reminder  of  the  waving 
expanses  of  green  where  the  red-headed  black- 
birds had  trilled  their  cheery  song. 

The  drying-up  process  was  gradual,  yet 
swift.  The  crocodiles  sensed  its  coming  and 
buried  themselves  deep  in  the  mud  to  aesti- 
vate  until  the  coming  of  the  rainy  season; 
also  the  lung-fishes,  queer  little  creatures 
resembling  tadpoles,  which  could  live  week 
after  week  under  the  hard  crust  with  only  a 
pinhole  in  the  surface  through  which  to 
breathe. 

As  the  water  receded,  the  finny  tribe  proper 
imprisoned  in  the  landlocked  bodies  became 
more  and  more  crowded.  They  struggled  in 
frantic  masses,  churning  up  the  mud  from 
the  bottom  so  that  the  liquid  in  which  they 
swam  was  thick  and  black.  The  smaller 
ones  attacked  one  another  savagely  tearing 
at  fin  and  tail;  and  the  larger  devoured  their 
mutilated  remains  in  the  mad  struggle  to 
prolong  life.  But  there  came  the  day  of 
complete  annihilation  when  there  was  not 


156        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

water  enough  left  to  support  the  survivors; 
they  slid  feebly  through  the  mire,  threw 
themselves  clear  of  it  onto  the  sun-baked 
mudflats  surrounding  it,  and  then  died. 

The  hordes  that  perished  were  numberless. 
And  the  stench  of  the  decaying  masses  that 
dotted  the  country  for  hundreds  upon  hun- 
dreds of  miles  hung  over  the  pantenales  like  a 
pall. 

Tumwah  was  indeed  angry!  His  fiery 
breath  had  indeed  swept  the  green  earth, 
parching  and  devastating  it.  And  Warruk, 
even  if  the  urge  to  explore  and  to  conquer 
new  fields  were  not  impelling  him,  fled  the 
scenes  of  desolation  and  guided  by  instinct 
made  for  the  broad  river  where  food  and  water 
must  be  abundant. 

Both  by  day  and  by  night  he  travelled, 
stopping  for  a  short  rest  only  during  the 
early  morning  hours.  Nor  was  he  alone. 
Others  of  the  larger  creatures,  terrified,  hungry 
and  thirsty  were  heading  in  the  same  direction, 
and  of  them  he  took  a  heavy  toll. 

The  first  sight  of  green  trees  fringing  the 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        157 

horizon  beyond  the  seemingly  endless  expanse 
of  brown  came  as  a  blessed  relief.  Upon 
reaching  it,  Warruk  found  it  a  veritable  oasis 
in  the  desert.  The  vanguard  of  the  unusual 
migration  had  already  reached  the  spot  and 
it  teemed  with  life. 

The  forest  island  covered  many  acres. 
There  were  deep,  black  pools  in  the  unbroken 
shade;  stealthy  deer,  tapirs,  peccaries,  and 
agoutis  moved  like  shadows  among  the 
columnar  trunks.  A  stream  led  from  it  into 
the  distance  that  appeared  greener  and  still 
more  cheerful.  Overhead,  in  the  gnarled 
branches  and  leafy  boughs  were  scores  of 
snowy  birds,  egrets  that  had  chosen  the 
place  for  a  nesting  site.  Some  of  them 
squatted  on  frail  stick  platforms;  others  sat 
motionless  on  the  tips  of  the  branches. 
Steady  streams  were  coming  and  going  con- 
stantly, resembling  giant  snowflakes  that 
glistened  and  twinkled  as  the  white  wings 
fanned  the  air. 

Warruk  looked  at  them  longingly  for,  to 
him  a  bird  was  a  bird,  and  he  remembered  the 


158        THE   BLACK  PHANTOM 

tender  partridges  of  more  bountiful  days. 
However,  there  were  other  creatures  to  supply 
his  fare  and  for  a  week  he  revelled  in  the 
abundance. 

Then  the  desire  to  push  further  and  further 
into  the  unknown  again  came  with  an  over- 
whelming insistency  and  he  turned  his  face 
eastward  where  the  grass  was  greener  and 
low  clouds  hung  like  garlands  of  red  and  gold 
upon  the  horizon. 

The  stream  of  birds  from  the  rookery  was 
flying  in  the  same  direction.  Soon  he  dis- 
covered its  goal — a  marsh  of  considerable 
extent  which  was  the  feeding-ground.  Num- 
bers of  the  long-legged  egrets  were  wading 
in  the  shallow  water,  stopping  now  and  then 
to  dart  their  long,  sharp  bills  into  the  throngs 
of  fish  dashing  about  their  feet.  Others  stood 
motionless  on  the  margin,  like  statuettes  hewn 
out  of  purest  marble;  though  seemingly  doz- 
ing, they  were  very  much  on  the  alert  as 
Warruk  discovered  when  he  tried  to  stalk  one 
of  them.  He  could  never  approach  closer  than 
a  dozen  good  paces  before  the  bird  flapped 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        159 

away  to  the  other  side  of  the  marsh,  so  after 
repeated  trials  he  gave  up  the  attempt  and 
continued  his  journey. 

The  country  beyond  the  marsh  grew  con- 
stantly greener  and  of  a  more  cheerful  character 
and  the  air  of  mystery  surrounding  the  un- 
known deepened  as  he  ventured  further 
from  the  oasis.  But  life  was  not  so  abundant 
and  the  animals  living  under  conditions 
varying  little  from  the  normal  were  more 
wary.  So,  after  a  few  days  of  wandering 
and  exploration  Warruk  returned  to  the  spot 
so  densely  populated  by  the  creatures  that 
had  fled  before  the  drought.  They  were 
there  still;  in  fact,  many  newcomers  had 
been  added  to  their  number.  As  before,  they 
moved  noiselessly  in  the  deep  shadows  and 
drank  of  the  black  water  in  the  silent  pools. 
But  something  about  the  place  had  changed. 
It  differed  in  some  respect  from  the  haven  of 
a  few  days  before.  Warruk  sensed  the  change 
but  at  first  could  not  discover  what  it  was 
further  than  to  note  an  offensive  odor  that 
penetrated  into  even  the  most  hidden  recesses. 


160        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

He  sniffed  the  air  in  all  directions;  the  stench 
came  from  overhead. 

It  was  then  he  noted  that  the  white  birds 
that  had  made  the  treetops  their  home  were 
no  more.  Also  the  lines  of  twinkling  wings 
linking  the  nesting  site  with  the  marsh  in 
which  they  fed  were  lacking.  The  place 
seemed  strangely  deserted  and  unnatural 
without  their  hoarse  croaks  and  flashing 
bodies  among  the  green  leaves. 

However,  newcomers  to  the  locality  had 
taken  their  place.  Huge,  black  birds  circled 
over  the  forest  island.  Gaunt,  dusky  forms 
sat  ghoul-like  on  the  stick  platforms  that 
had  been  nests  filled  with  impatient,  squealing 
young  birds,  or  flapped  heavily  and  clumsily 
through  the  branches. 

The  oasis,  now  reeking  of  desolation  far 
more  than  did  the  upper  country  when 
Tumwah  descended  upon  it  had  been  deprived 
of  its  attractiveness  and  Warruk  lost  no  time 
in  leaving  it.  He  followed  the  little  water- 
course straight  to  the  marsh.  And  there 
new  experiences  awaited  him. 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        161 

The  borders  of  the  reed-dotted  water  were 
flecked  with  white.  That  much  he  saw  from 
a  distance.  Of  course  it  was  the  egrets  and 
their  presence  here  explained  their  absence 
in  the  treetops.  But,  why  were  they  all  so 
motionless?  Before,  he  had  been  unable  to 
approach  to  within  a  dozen  paces  of  them! 
Now,  not  one  stirred  although  he  was  less 
than  half  that  distance  away  and  the  slight 
wind  that  blew  ruffled  their  feathers  in  a 
most  peculiar  manner.  He  drew  still  nearer. 
Then  it  dawned  upon  him  that  they  were 
dead.  Rafts  of  fish,  also  dead,  floating  on 
the  surface  of  the  water  dotted  the  edges  of 
the  marsh.  And,  strangest  of  all,  queer 
footprints  were  visible  in  the  mud.  They 
were  unlike  any  Warruk  had  ever  seen — 
long,  broad,  and  giving  off  a  strange  scent. 
He  sniffed  the  tracks  and  followed  them 
entirely  around  the  marsh  to  the  river. 
There  they  disappeared  at  the  water's  edge. 

For  once  the  Jaguar  broke  his  rule  not  to 
eat  anything  he  had  not  killed.  The  birds 
for  which  he  had  longed  were  irresistible  so, 


162        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

cat-like,  he  picked  one  up  in  his  mouth, 
carried  it  away  a  short  distance,  and  then, 
finding  it  not  too  rank,  ate  it.  After  that 
he  started  to  get  another  one.  Like  the 
one  he  had  just  eaten,  the  bird  had  been 
mutilated  by  some  ruthless  hand;  a  part  of  its 
back  had  been  torn  away.  Warruk  started 
off  with  the  prize  in  his  mouth  but  before  he 
had  taken  many  steps  a  strange  feeling  came 
over  him.  A  shudder  passed  over  his  powerful 
frame  and  he  became  violently  ill.  He 
dropped  the  bird  he  was  carrying  and  rushing 
to  the  stream  drank  greedily,  for  a  burning 
thirst  had  now  taken  possession  of  him; 
and  then  followed  nausea  so  violent  that  it 
left  him  all  but  lifeless. 

How  many  hours  he  lay  on  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  too  sick  to  move,  none  can  tell; 
but  it  was  many.  Again  and  again  he  re- 
gained his  senses  long  enough  to  lap  up 
water  in  great  gulps  and  that  always  seemed, 
at  least  partially,  to  quench  the  fire  that  was 
consuming  him  within.  When  a  measure 
of  relief  finally  came  he  crawled  weakly  from 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        163 

the  neighborhood,  determined  never  to  visit 
it  again. 

In  some  manner  Warruk  connected  his 
predicament  with  the  new  tracks  in  the  mud 
and  the  strange  scent  they  conveyed.  And 
he  was  right,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
he  had  come  upon  the  trail  of  man,  and 
upon  man's  handiwork  in  all  its  most  pitiless 
destructiveness. 

What  had  happened  was  this:  A  party  of 
plume  hunters  had  discovered  the  feeding- 
ground  of  the  egrets;  had  gathered  up  great 
quantities  of  the  imprisoned  fish  and  after 
poisoning  them  had  redistributed  them  over 
the  surface  of  the  water.  The  birds  ate  and 
died.  Then  the  men  returned,  stripped  the 
plumes  from  their  luckless  victims  and  de- 
parted in  their  canoes.  The  young  in  the 
platform  nests  in  the  forest  island  called  in 
vain  for  their  elders  and  for  the  food  they 
brought,  at  first  lustily,  then  feebly  until 
they  starved  to  death.  Then  the  vultures 
came,  making  a  loathsome  feast  on  the  bodies 
of  the  little  creatures  that  had  perished  so 


164        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

miserably.  The  work  of  extermination  was 
complete. 

Warruk  advanced  slowly  and  cautiously 
for  now  he  knew  that  in  the  strange  country 
danger  lurked — danger  of  a  kind  unknown 
to  him  and  of  a  subtle  quality.  If  the 
creatures  whose  footprints  he  had  seen  and 
with  whose  scent  the  border  of  the  marsh 
was  redolent  could  outwit  the  wary  birds 
that  had  always  eluded  him,  what  surprise 
might  not  they  hold  in  store  for  him? 

But,  there  was  that  insistent  urge  that  bade 
him  advance.  And,  too,  Tumwah  was  stretch- 
ing his  devastating  hand  toward  the  lower 
country.  The  animals  that  had  found  a  tem- 
porary refuge  in  the  oasis  were  moving  onward 
also,  for  the  water  in  the  pools  was  vanishing 
and  the  vegetation  began  to  droop.  Day 
by  day  the  sun's  rays  grew  more  intense 
until  it  seemed  they  must  set  the  world  afire. 

Two  weeks  later  Warruk  reached  the  margin 
of  the  great  river  that  wound  its  sluggish  way 
through  a  strip  of  forested  country  hugging 
its  banks.  But,  mighty  stream  though  it 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        165 

was,  it  had  not  been  spared  the  wrath  of 
Tumwah's  onslaught.  Where  ordinarily  a 
wide  expanse  of  water  greeted  the  eye,  stretch- 
ing in  a  ruffled,  brown  sheet  to  the  dimly 
outlined  fringe  of  palms  on  the  distant  bank, 
there  was  now  a  series  of  sun-baked  sandbars 
several  miles  wide  and  many,  many  miles 
long.  The  river,  still  of  imposing  width, 
flowed  through  a  channel  in  the  center  of  the 
sandy  wastes  but  bore  little  resemblance  to  its 
former  awe-inspiring  grandeur. 

Flocks  of  gulls  and  skimmers  flew  shrieking 
and  wheeling  in  masses  overhead  or  ran  ex- 
citedly over  the  sand.  Crocodiles,  too,  were 
in  evidence,  for  here  there  were  water  and 
food  so  there  was  not  the  need  to  bury  them- 
selves in  the  mud  and  in  a  semi-conscious 
condition  await  the  coming  of  a  friendlier 
season,  as  did  their  fellows  in  the  inland 
country. 

It  was  indeed  a  new  and  strange  world  veiled 
with  an  impenetrable  air  of  mystery  and 
romance. 

At    night    the    stars    glimmered    with    an 


166        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

uncanny  brightness.  The  vast  sandbanks, 
heretofore  peopled  only  by  the  shrieking 
birds  and  rows  of  crocodiles  assumed  a 
different  and  even  more  animated  appearance. 
For,  with  night-fall  turtles  in  legion  forsook 
their  abode  on  the  muddy  river-bottom  and 
sought  the  hot  sand  to  lay  their  eggs.  The 
shuffle  of  their  feet  and  the  scraping  of  their 
heavy  shells  was  audible  some  distance  away 
in  a  muffled  conglomeration  of  sounds.  They 
moved  rather  rapidly  for  such  cumbersome 
creatures  and  made  quickly  for  the  highest 
points  in  the  sandy  wastes  where  with  much 
effort  a  hole  was  scooped  and  the  eggs  de- 
posited; then  the  excavation  was  neatly  filled. 
The  turtles  hurried  back  to  the  water  to 
remain  in  the  depths  of  the  muddy  river 
until  the  following  year. 

Warruk  looked  in  amazement  at  the  seething 
mass  of  life. 

"  Ca-urghy  ca-urghy  ca-urgh,  urgh,  urgh,  urgh" 
a  gruff,  coughing  roar  pierced  the  still  night 
air  from  near  the  deep  channel  and  Warruk's 
muscles  tensed  as  he  listened  to  the  sound. 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        167 

It  was  the  voice  of  one  of  his  kind.  An 
instant  later  his  own  voice  rang  loud  and 
sharp  in  answer  to  the  challenge  and  he 
started  across  the  crumbling  sand  toward 
the  water.  In  the  distance  a  dark  form  loomed 
up,  motionless  as  a  statue  and  Warruk  too 
stopped  the  moment  he  beheld  the  stranger. 
Then  the  latter  raised  his  head  skyward  and 
again  the  roar,  savage,  spiteful  and  bespeaking 
rage  shattered  the  air.  What  right  had 
this  newcomer  to  intrude  on  his  hunting- 
ground  ? 

Warruk  noted  the  smaller  size  of  the  resent- 
ful one;  also  that  his  coat  was,  of  course, 
spotted.  He  listened  patiently  until  the  roar 
had  ended.  Then,  with  a  mighty  bellow  he 
strode  slowly  toward  his  challenger. 

The  latter  stood  his  ground  for  a  moment. 
But  suddenly  he  perceived  the  color  of  the 
intruder  and  that  one  look  was  all  that  was 
required.  Without  taking  a  second  he  dashed 
to  the  river,  plunged  into  the  water  and  swam 
for  the  other  side.  Members  of  his  tribe, 
of  his  own  spotted  color  he  feared  not  and 


168        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

was  ready  to  battle  with  at  any  time.  But, 
when  the  apparition  of  a  black  individual 
appeared  he  retreated  frantically,  relinquishing 
his  choice  feeding-ground  without  a  show  of 
resentment  or  any  desire  to  question  the 
newcomer's  status. 

So  it  had  been  always.  The  other  jaguars 
shunned  Warruk  because  they  feared  him. 
And  being  thus  made  an  outcast  intensified 
the  black  one's  naturally  savage  and  truculent 
disposition. 

Warruk  hurled  a  bellow  of  ridicule  after 
the  fugitive  and  then  turned  his  attention 
to  the  food  bedecking  the  sand. 

One  blow  on  the  head  was  sufficient  to  end 
the  earthly  career  of  the  largest  turtle  but 
the  bony  armor  encasing  the  body  was  not 
so  easy  to  dispose  of;  it  required  a  number 
of  powerful  strokes  of  the  great,  armed  paws 
to  crush  the  plates  or  break  them  apart  and 
thus  make  accessible  the  flesh  within. 

Those  nights  on  the  sandflats  flanking 
the  great  silent  river  were  full  of  alluring 
enchantments.  Never  had  the  moon  shed 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        169 

such  velvety,  silvery  light;  never  had  the  stars 
flashed  with  such  supernatural  brightness; 
nor  had  meteorites  drawn  such  lines  of  fiery 
brilliance  across  the  heavens. 

The  days  were  hot.  In  fact,  the  sun  seemed 
to  dart  out  tongues  of  fire  that  threatened 
to  lap  up  all  the  water  in  the  mighty  river. 
But,  throughout  the  night  a  gentle  breeze 
stirred  near  the  border  of  the  stream  reviving 
the  life  that  gathered  at  the  haven  of  refuge 
and  plenty. 

Warruk  was  now  master  of  all.  He  strode 
across  the  sandy  wastes  with  majestic  steps 
and  swaying  head.  None  questioned  his 
position  or  disputed  his  way.  And  when, 
as  sometimes  happened,  a  challenging  cry 
rang  out  across  the  water  from  some  distant 
inlet  and  his  own  hoarse  voice  was  raised 
in  answer  to  the  roar,  it  was  never  repeated. 
News  travels  fast  in  the  wilderness,  and  in  a 
mysterious  way.  And  his  presence  was  known 
far  and  wide  and  he  was  avoided  accordingly. 
So  he  went  his  way,  feasting  on  the  turtles  and 
their  eggs  which  he  soon  learned  to  dig  out  of 


170        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

their  hiding  places,  and  on  the  fish  that  came 
up  into  the  shallow  water  to  spawn  and  which 
were  so  easy  to  catch. 

Then,  one  night  the  great  thrill  of  his  life 
came.  Far,  far  down  the  river  Warruk  saw  a 
light.  Was  it  possible  that  one  of  the  stars 
had  fallen  from  overhead  to  take  up  its  abode 
on  the  earth?  Had  one  of  the  streamers  of 
fire  that  criss-crossed  the  sky  landed  on  the 
sand  to  flicker  out  its  life? 

No!  The  stars  above  flashed  as  insolently 
as  ever  and  their  piercing  shafts  of  light  were 
of  a  steel-blue  color;  the  meteorites  still 
streaked  their  orange-red  trails  across  the 
curtain  of  black.  But  this  light  in  the 
distance,  growing  constantly  brighter,  was 
a  deep  red.  It  was  different  from  anything 
he  had  ever  seen.  It  seemed  to  beckon  to  him 
and  for  many  minutes  he  stood  gazing  at  it, 
trying  to  fathom  its  meaning. 

If  Warruk  had  only  known!  The  bright 
light  might  be  said  to  represent  his  own  star 
at  its  zenith.  He  had  reached  the  parting  of 
the  ways.  In  the  height  of  his  development 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        171 

and  powers  he  could  either  maintain  his 
supremacy  of  the  wilderness  for  years  to  come 
or  risk  everything  in  battle  with  crea- 
tures of  superior  intelligence  who  possessed  a 
high  degree  of  cunning,  who  fought  unfairly 
and  of  whom  he  knew  nothing.  What  hope 
of  survival  had  he,  or  any  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  wilderness  in  such  unequal  combat? 

Warruk  looked  steadfastly  at  the  light 
flickering  on  the  riverbank,  far,  far  away. 
He  turned  his  gaze  in  the  other  direction 
where  lay  the  untold  miles  of  untrodden 
wastes  that  were  his  kingdom,  to  have  and 
to  hold  so  long  as  he  chose.  He  faced  the 
river;  the  turtle  battalions  were  emerging 
from  the  water  as  before,  causing  scarcely  a 
ripple.  Again  he  looked  at  the  fire,  took  a 
few  steps  toward  it,  halted,  sniffed  the  air, 
and  checked  a  roar  that  welled  up  in  his  throat. 
He  had  reached  a  decision. 

If  there  were  new  worlds  to  conquer  he 
would  invade  them,  fearless,  determined  and 
confident.  He  reckoned  not  on  man,  the 
unknown,  and  had  he  known  it  is  not  improb- 


172        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

able  but  that  he  should  have  acted  exactly  as 
he  did.  For,  what  is  all  life  but  a  game  of 
chance?  And  what  is  chance  but  a  disguise 
for  opportunity? 

The  first  steps  toward  the  fire  had  been 
taken.  The  die  had  been  cast.  Fate  had 
stepped  into  Warruk's  life  and  while  luring 
him  onward,  baited  with  the  promise  of 
adventure  the  hard  path  that  lay  ahead. 

Daylight  was  just  breaking  when  the  black 
Jaguar  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  blaze. 
The  fire,  replenished  throughout  the  hours  of 
darkness  had  guided  him  unerringly  on  his 
way;  but  with  the  coming  of  dawn  it  had  been 
allowed  to  dwindle  down  until  nothing  re- 
mained but  a  bed  of  embers  and  even  these 
died  when  the  sun  shot  over  the  horizon. 

The  place  reeked  of  an  uncommon  though 
not  unknown  odor  and  the  sand  was  trodden 
into  paths  by  long,  broad  feet.  Once  before 
he  had  come  upon  the  same  tracks  and  scent; 
and  it  came  to  him  in  a  flash  that  it  had  been 
along  the  border  of  the  marsh  and  near  the 
stream  flowing  out  of  it  where  the  dead 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        173 

egrets  lay  in  heaps  and  rows,  their  feathers 
ruffled  by  the  wind.  And  the  recollection 
also  came  of  the  illness  he  had  suffered  as  the 
result  of  eating  of  the  birds.  The  creatures 
that  could  work  such  havoc  among  the  shy 
egrets  and  the  after-effects  of  whose  presence 
was  violent  sickness,  were  not  to  be  taken  too 
lightly  and  Warruk  felt  a  distrust  of  the  insidi- 
ous power  they  must  possess. 

He  circled  the  place,  once,  twice,  in  search 
of  further  clues  to  the  strange  inhabitants. 
They  were  not  lacking  in  the  form  of  heaps 
of  turtle  shells,  bones,  feathers,  fish  scales 
and  numerous  other  objects.  But,  of  the 
creatures  themselves  he  saw  nothing.  His 
keen  ears,  however  caught  the  sound  of  deep 
breathing  that  came  from  a  group  of  leaf- 
thatched  shelters  dotting  the  sand. 

Warruk  lingered  about  the  encampment 
until  the  sun  was  well  above  the  treetops. 
Then  he  entered  the  edge  of  the  thick  cover 
bordering  the  flat  stretch  where  the  strange 
creatures  dwelt  and  which  was  the  beginning 


174        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

of  the  forest.  The  wind,  blowing  the  sand 
before  it  in  rippling  waves,  soon  filled  the 
imprints  of  his  massive  feet  and  obliterated 
all  trace  of  his  visit.  And  this  was  on  the 
very  night  following  the  gathering  of  the 
Indians  when  Choflo,  headman,  had  an- 
nounced that  the  wrath  of  Tumwah,  God  of 
Drought,  was  about  to  descend  upon  the 

land. 
********* 

The  crocodile  had  been  slain  by  the  hunters 
and  its  skin  removed  with  much  ceremony. 
The  head,  with  its  leering  expression  and  long 
rows  of  peg-like  teeth  was  raised  on  a  pole 
in  the  center  of  the  encampment.  The  flesh 
of  the  reptile  was  roasted  at  night.  A  great 
fire  was  kindled  and  as  the  flames  mounted 
skyward  they  threw  a  red  glow  upon  the 
dusky  faces  of  the  Indians.  Not  in  seven 
years  had  such  a  huge  fire  been  made  and  its 
glare  could  be  seen  many  miles  up  and  down 
the  river,  in  regions  never  penetrated  by 
the  watch  or  cooking  fires.  It  was  this  light 
that  Warruk  had  seen  as  he  patrolled  his 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        175 

beat  and  that  had  lured  him  from  the  country 
he  knew  to  the  region  inhabited  by  ruthless  man. 

After  the  thick  sections  of  white  flesh  had 
been  roasted  until  they  resembled  charcoal 
they  were  raked  out  with  long  poles.  Every- 
one partook  in  silence — grim  silence  that  was 
ominous.  And  after  a  while  Choflo  danced 
a  sacred  dance  around  the  fire.  He  wore  an 
anklet  of  dried  seeds  that  rattled  above  his 
right  foot;  as  he  stepped  over  the  sand  in 
rythm  with  the  music  of  a  wind  instrument 
made  of  a  long-necked  calabash,  and  the 
thrumming  of  a  snake-skin  drum  played  by 
two  assistants,  he  called  upon  Tumwah  to 
look  down  upon  them  and  to  pity  their  un- 
happy plight.  Then  both  dancer  and  feasters 
went  quietly  to  their  shelters  and  the  fire 
was  allowed  to  die  down. 

Daylight,  as  always,  came  with  an  appalling 
suddenness  and  soon  the  sun  was  high  in  the 
heavens  with  searing  rays  that  transfixed  the 
earth  as  relentlessly  as  before.  Tumwah  had 
not  taken  note  of  the  sacrifice.  He  was 
more  than  angry;  he  was  enraged,  for  his 


176        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

onslaught  was  more  terrible  than  ever.  Even 
at  this  early  hour  the  heat-waves  danced 
and  quivered  in  the  still  air  in  a  blinding, 
confusing  manner. 

The  men  departed  from  the  camping  site 
while  the  day  was  young.  They  pushed 
their  long,  narrow,  dugout  canoes  into  the 
water,  clambered  aboard,  took  up  the  short 
paddles  and  pushed  to  the  other  side  which 
had  not,  as  yet,  been  despoiled  of  its  buried 
treasures.  There  they  fell  to  work  probing 
the  sand  with  sharpened  sticks  and  when  it 
yielded  easily  to  the  thrust  they  dug  with 
their  hands  until  the  pocket  containing  the 
oblong,  tough-skinned  eggs  had  been  un- 
covered. These  they  gathered  into  baskets 
to  be  emptied  into  the  canoes  so  fast  as  they 
were  filled.  All  day  long  they  toiled  giving 
not  a  thought  to  the  women  and  children  who 
had  been  left  behind. 

Warruk,  from  his  place  of  concealment  in 
the  border  of  the  thick  jungle  had  not  for  a 
moment  taken  his  eyes  from  the  human 
habitations.  He  had  seen  the  men  emerge 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        177 

from  the  shelters  and  paddle  away.  And 
he  marvelled  at  the  strange  creatures  that 
were  taller  l:han  any  of  the  animals  of  the 
forest  or  plain  and  that  walked  on  two  feet. 
He  felt  no  antagonism  toward  them,  no  desire 
to  attack  or  slay.  He  was  overawed,  for  he 
could  not  comprehend  them  and  that  filled 
him  with  a  burning  curiosity  to  know  more 
about  them,  to  see  them  at  closer  range. 

So  long  as  the  queer  creatures  were  present 
in  numbers  he  dared  not  show  himself  for 
he  well  remembered  his  experience  with  the 
peccary  herd  whose  strength  lay  in  numbers. 

The  long  awaited  opportunity  came  toward 
mid-afternoon.  From  the  collection  of  huts, 
crackling  and  warping  in  the  heat  came  a 
solitary  form.  It  was  not  unlike  the  others 
that  had  appeared  earlier  in  the  day  except 
that  it  was  very  much  smaller  and  seemed  to 
walk  with  uncertain  steps. 

The  little  man-creature  faltered  to  the 
shady  side  of  one  of  the  shelters  and  sat 
down.  Then  it  began  to  dig  in  the  sand  and 
toss  handfuls  of  it  up  into  the  air. 


178        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

Warruk  watched  with  glowing  eyes.  Here 
was  his  opportunity.  Almost  before  he  knew 
it  he  had  slipped  out  of  the  thick  cover  and 
was  gliding  shadow-like  across  the  sandbar. 
So  silent  and  so  stealthy  were  his  movements 
that  the  child  was  not  aware  of  his  approach, 
and  even  when  he  halted  and  crouched  low 
not  more  than  ten  paces  away  his  presence 
still  was  unsuspected. 

In  his  turn,  the  Jaguar  was  so  interested, 
so  fascinated  by  the  child  that  he  was  oblivious 
to  all  else.  Had  he  been  suffering  from  hunger 
his  intentions  might  have  been  different. 
But  with  food  so  plentiful,  the  thought  of 
attack  had  not  even  occurred  to  him. 

Mata,  mother  of  the  child  soon  missed  her 
offspring  and  went  in  search  of  it.  She 
suppressed  a  scream  of  terror  as  she  took  in 
the  scene  of  the  great,  black  beast  apparently 
about  to  spring  and  dashed  back  into  the 
shelter  for  the  long,  keen-bladed  knife  that 
was  always  kept  handy  for  any  emergency. 
Without  thought  of  danger  to  herself  she 
flew  at  Warruk  as  only  a  mother  can  in  defense 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        179 

of  her  young.  The  machete  was  upraised 
and  flashed  in  the  sunlight.  It  was  not  until 
this  occurred  that  the  mighty  cat  became 
conscious  of  her  presence,  so  absorbed  had 
he  been.  At  the  same  time  a  streak  of  fire 
shot  through  his  shoulder  where  the  point 
of  the  knife  slashed  its  way  through  skin 
and  muscle.  He  gave  one  cry  of  pain  and 
surprise,  leaped  to  one  side,  and  turning 
bounded  away  to  the  forest.  The  Indian 
gathered  up  her  little  one  and  fled  into  the 
hut.  Her  screams  now  brought  out  the  others 
who  had  remained  at  home,  among  them 
Choflo,  and  as  they  rushed  from  the  low  door- 
ways they  had  just  time  enough  to  see  the 
black  form  disappear  into  the  thicket. 

That  night  pandemonium  reigned  in  camp. 
The  men  built  another  great  fire  and  chanted 
prayers  for  deliverance  while  the  women 
squatted  in  the  outer  circle  with  swaying 
bodies  and  raised  their  voices  in  loud  lamen- 
tations mingled  with  praises  for  the  valiant 
Mata  who  had  dared  attack  and  repel  the 
savage  animal. 


180        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

As  for  Choflo,  he  sat  silently  on  one  side 
throughout  the  demonstration  and  consulted 
the  contents  of  his  charm-bag.  There  were 
the  teeth  of  crocodiles,  pebbles  worn  round 
and  smooth  in  the  riverbed  and  a  tuft  of 
snowy  feathers  taken  from  the  shoulders  of  a 
luckless  egret.  Finally  he  arose  and  raising 
his  hands  commanded  all  to  be  silent. 

"Tumwah  has  not  been  pleased  with  our 
offering.  He  is  more  angry  than  before"  he 
announced  in  a  sepulchral  voice.  "  My  magic 
tells  me  so.  The  terrible  god  has  sent  a  Black 
Phantom  from  the  lower  world  to  haunt  us 
and  to  render  our  lives  more  miserable. 
Dark  and  filled  with  forebodings  is  the  season 
that  has  descended  upon  us." 

His  hearers  rocked  to  and  fro  and  smote 
their  breasts  in  unison  with  the  sorcerer. 

"We  must  bring  a  greater  sacrifice. 
Twenty  turtles  must  be  offered  to  Tumwah. 
Then,  and  only  then  will  he  recall  the  evil 
spirit  that  lurks  in  our  midst.  Otherwise 
we  shall  perish." 

Without  a  word  of  complaint  or  remon- 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        181 

s trance  the  men  boarded  their  canoes  and 
pushed  out  into  the  river,  for  the  turtles  were 
kept  in  corrals  on  the  other  side.  When 
they  returned,  long  after,  the  creatures,  their 
feet  bound  together,  were  heaped  on  the  fire 
to  which  the  women  had  added  bundles  of  drift- 
wood. And  as  the  struggling  turtles  slowly 
expired  the  men  danced  about  the  fire  to  the 
sounds  of  hissing  flesh  and  crackling  embers. 

"Now  go!"  Choflo  commanded  after  the 
flames  had  spent  their  fury.  "Go  to  your 
shelters.  I  alone  will  remain  to  study  the 
heavens  and  read  the  pleasure  of  the  god.'* 

But  no  sooner  had  the  dancers  departed 
than  Choflo  too  entered  his  hut  to  sleep. 

The  path  was  now  open  to  Warruk.  He 
had  watched  the  fire  and  the  dancing  but 
there  was  no  longer  awe  in  his  heart  for  the 
man-creatures.  A  savage  rage  and  the  desire 
for  revenge  had  taken  its  place.  His  shoulder 
pained  him  frightfully  from  the  cut  inflicted 
by  Mata.  Why  had  he  been  attacked  when 
his  intentions  had  been  of  the  friendliest? 
All  the  other  creatures  of  the  wilderness 


182        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

respected  his  position  and  these  too  should 
have  their  lesson.  He  would  show  them  the 
savagery  of  which  he  was  capable.  Never 
again  would  he  trust  man;  he  was  cruel  and 
unfair.  Two  experiences  had  taught  him 
that — first  the  poisoned  bird  and  now  the 
unprovoked  attack.  Hereafter  he  would 
match  his  cunning  with  the  man-creatures 
and  if  necessary,  it  would  be  a  battle  to  the 
bitter  end.  Vast  as  the  wilderness  was,  it 
was  too  small  to  harbor  both  the  man- 
creatures  and  himself. 

Warruk  glided  out  upon  the  sand  so  silently 
and  stealthily  that  he  was  like  a  shadow 
flowing  over  the  ground.  Straight  as  an 
arrow  he  went,  retracing  his  steps  of  the  pre- 
vious afternoon  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
stood  before  the  entrance  of  Mata's  shelter. 
None  stirred  inside  but  his  ears  caught  the 
sound  of  deep  breathing.  There  was  no 
hesitation,  no  indecision.  One  quick  bound 
and  he  had  entered.  His  nose  guided  him  to 
the  guilty  one;  a  step  in  the  right  direction 
and  his  long,  white  fangs  had  closed  on 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        183 

Mata's  shoulder  and  he  began  dragging  her 
to  the  doorway. 

Loud  shrieks  came  from  the  terrified  woman. 
She  clutched  wildly  at  her  assailant  and  at 
the  poles  of  the  hut  but  her  strength  was  as 
nothing  compared  to  the  power  that  held  her 
in  its  grip.  And  the  Jaguar,  forgetful  of  all 
else  in  this  moment  of  triumph  felt  a  savage 
exultation  in  the  anticipation  of  devouring 
his  victim  and  thus  proving  that  after  all  he 
was  master  of  all  that  walked  the  earth. 

The  encampment  had  been  aroused  by  the 
cries  and  was  in  a  turmoil.  Men  rushed  to 
the  heap  of  smouldering  embers,  seized  thick 
branches  still  glowing  at  one  end  and  waved 
them  aloft  until  they  burst  into  flame. 
Others  held  spears  and  arrows  in  their  hands, 
and  came  running  to  the  rescue  of  the  woman. 

At  first  Warruk  paid  no  heed  to  the  mob 
but  when  a  flaming  brand  was  flung  into  his 
face,  burning  him  painfully,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  his  victim.  But  he  did 
not  retreat;  instead,  he  drew  himself  up  to 
his  full  height  and  faced  his  attackers. 


184        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

A  second  blazing  torch  was  hurled  in  his 
direction  and  he  dashed  it  aside  with  a  blow 
of  his  massive  paw.  Then  came  a  spear,  the 
point  barely  penetrating  the  skin  of  his 
flank.  Warruk  turned  with  a  snarl  and 
crunched  the  shaft  between  his  teeth.  Blazing 
clubs  and  spears  were  now  falling  in  a  shower; 
with  a  terrible  roar  he  charged  through  the 
barrage  of  missiles  into  the  midst  of  the  yelling 
group,  striking  to  right  and  to  left.  The  men, 
panic-stricken,  dropped  their  weapons  and 
fled  to  their  shelters.  When  none  was  in 
sight  the  great  cat  voiced  his  victory  in  a 
series  of  cries  and  grunts  that  made  the  very 
ground  tremble.  He  was  lord  of  the  wilder- 
ness; even  the  man-creatures  with  all  their 
wiles  and  cunning  had  acknowledged  his 
supremacy  and  had  departed  precipitously, 
leaving  him  in  possession  of  the  field.  Another 
savage  roar  of  triumph  and  he  strode  majes- 
tically to  the  forest. 

It  was  several  hours  before  the  terrified 
Indians  dared  leave  the  security  of  their 
shelters  and  then  only  at  the  imperious 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        185 

summons  of  Choflo's  voice.  Three  fires  were 
hastily  kindled  and  between  them  the  council 
sat  feeling  sure  that  neither  beast  nor  demon 
would  dare  brave  the  blazing  barrier. 

"Again  our  offering  has  been  spurned  by 
Tumwah,"  Choflo  moaned,  "and  now  I  know 
the  reason  why.  A  spirit  of  evil  has  escaped 
from  the  place  of  darkness  and  is  ravaging 
the  earth;  it  has  entered  the  body  of  a  mon- 
strous tiger  and  has  changed  it  into  a  black 
demon,  a  Black  Phantom  whose  very  appear- 
ance is  enough  to  strike  terror  to  the  bravest 
heart.  Twice  has  he  made  onslaughts  on  us. 
Who  can  tell  what  may  next  occur!" 

"It  is  indeed  a  spirit  from  the  world  of 
darkness,"  Sagguk  panted,  his  superstitious 
fancy  encouraged  by  Choflo's  words.  Sagguk 
had  thrown  the  spear  that  grazed  Warruk's 
flank.  "For,  did  I  not  thrust  my  spear  full 
into  his  heart  so  that  the  blood  gushed  out  in  a 
crimson  torrent?  Yet  the  demon  turned, 
grasped  the  shaft  in  his  teeth  and  drew  it  out 
without  sign  of  pain." 

"And  my  arrows  bounded  off  his  neck  and 


186        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

shoulders  as  from  the  horny  back  of  a  turtle," 
another  added.  "The  phantom  bears  a 
charmed  life.  Our  weapons  cannot  harm 
this  monster  from  the  other  world  that  has 
come  to  destroy  us." 

"Listen !"  Choflo  commanded.  "Thus  have 
I  solved  the  mystery.  Tumwah  is  not  angry 
with  us.  He  is  angry  with  this  evil  spirit 
which  is  usurping  his  power  on  earth.  There- 
fore, by  drying  up  the  land  and  the  water 
Tumwah  hopes  to  destroy  the  great  tiger  so 
that  the  demon  must  leave  the  dead  body  and 
return  to  the  place  of  blackness  from  which  it 
escaped,  even  if  in  so  doing  all  others  that 
live  must  perish  in  the  battle.  To  save  our- 
selves we  must  kill  the  Black  Phantom." 

"But,  have  we  not  seen  how  useless  our 
weapons  are  against  this  monster?"  Sagguk 
interposed. 

"True.  But  I  will  prepare  a  charmed 
arrow  with  a  poisoned  point.  Someone  must 
go  to  seek  out  the  lair  of  the  great  tiger  that 
harbors  the  evil  spirit  and  slay  it." 

"Is  it  not  true,  all-knowing  one,"  Yaro, 


CRUELTY  OF  TUMWAH        187 

who  was  of  great  age  ventured  to  inquire, 
"that  he  who  slays  a  tiger,  possessed  of  an 
evil  spirit  though  it  be,  shall  come  under  a 
spell?  And  that  the  spell  shall  not  be  broken 
until  his  nearest  of  kin  shall  have  forfeited  his 
life  in  atonement  for  the  deed?" 

"It  is  true.  But  what  is  one  life  compared 
to  the  lives  of  all  of  us  ?  Better  that  one  die 
than  all.  But  the  honor  that  shall  fall  upon 
the  slayer  will  be  great  for,  even  as  he  sends 
the  charmed  arrow  crashing  on  its  mission  of 
beneficent  destruction  knowing  that  in  so 
doing  he  is  sacrificing  the  life  of  his  most 
beloved,  he  shall  also  know  that  he  is  the 
savior  of  the  race." 

Choflo  paused  so  that  his  words  might  have 
their  full  effect.  Then  he  continued.  "Now 
go!"  he  commanded,  rising.  "And  let  no 
man  look  toward  the  entrance  of  his  shelter, 
for  before  the  sun  rises  the  Great  Spirit  will 
decide.  A  white  feather  resting  in  the  sand 
before  the  doorway  will  announce  the  selection 
of  the  honored  one,  who  must  pursue  and 
slay  the  Black  Phantom.  The  responsibility 


188        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

will  be  great,  for  upon  the  success  or  failure  of 
the  chosen  one  will  depend  not  only  the 
survival  of  the  race  but  of  all  life  on  earth." 

Once  again  the  group  dissolved  itself.  And 
as  the  frightened  people  huddled  in  their 
huts  the  voice  of  Choflo,  raised  in  incantations 
and  accompanied  by  the  rattle  of  charms 
floated  out  over  the  still  night  air.  After  a 
time  the  sounds  were  hushed. 

The  silence  was  ominous.  The  suspense 
was  awful  Now  as  never  before  did  terror 
enter  the  hearts  of  the  Indians  cowering  and 
trembling  in  their  dark  hovels.  The  white 
feather  was  on  its  way  to  announce  the 
fateful  selection  of  the  Great  Spirit  as  inter- 
preted by  Choflo,  headman,  sorcerer  and 
oracle  of  the  simple-minded  Can  tanas. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  WHITE  FEATHER 

Scarcely  had  the  sun  risen  on  the  morning 
following  the  appearance  of  the  Black  Phan- 
tom when  the  encampment  was  astir,  for  each 
was  eager  to  discover  whether  or  not  he  had 
been  selected  for  the  perilous  task  of  slaying 
the  mysterious  visitor.  The  men  stole  out  of 
their  shelters  just  as  the  rays  of  the  brilliant 
orb  bathed  the  level  sea  of  green  treetops  of 
the  Amazonian  jungle  with  a  flood  of  roseate 
light,  and  scanned  the  sand  in  front  of  their 
doorways. 

Oomah  found  the  symbol,  a  tuft  of  snowy, 
drooping  aigrettes  that  quivered  and  glistened 
at  the  slightest  touch  And  he  stood  reverently 
gazing  at  the  sacred  object  until  Choflo's 
drum,  followed  by  the  sound  of  his  voice  bade 
the  men  gather  in  solemn  conclave. 

"Upon  Oomah  has  fallen  the  mission    of 

189 


190        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

saving  the  earth  from  a  terrible  end/'  the 
sorcerer  said  gravely,  "  and  the  selection  of  the 
Great  Spirit  has  been  a  wise  one." 

"But,  am  I  worthy  to  be  entrusted  with 
such  a  holy  undertaking?"  Oomah  asked 
incredulously,  holding  the  plumes  in  his  hand. 

"The  decision  of  the  Great  Spirit  has 
answered  that.  You  must  prove  yourself 
worthy  or  pay  the  penalty.  Either  you  will 
slay  the  Black  Phantom  and  bring  back 
evidence  of  the  deed,  or  you  will  not  return 
at  all." 

"I  question  not  the  wisdom  of  Choflo  who 
understands  the  mystic  things  that  are  with- 
held from  the  rest  of  us,"  old  Yaro  meekly 
protested,  "but,  had  it  not  been  decided  that 
Oomah  was  next  to  be  leader  of  the  tribe? 
As  the  coming  headman,  should  not  his  life 
be  guarded?  Should  not  he  be  shielded  from 
peril?  If  he  perish  in  the  attempt  to  slay  the 
Black  Phantom;  or,  if  he  should  fail  and  thus 
become  an  exile,  we  should  lose  him  forever." 

"If  Oomah  be  lost  another  will  be  found  to 
take  his  place.  Wana,  son  of  my  sister,  is 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         191 

a  promising  youth.  And  besides,  there  is 
another  reason  why  Oomah  has  been  chosen." 

"What  is  that  reason?"  Yaro  persisted.      J 

"Do  you  not  recall  your  own  words,  Yaro, 
uttered  during  the  last  hours  of  darkness? 
'He  who  slays  a  tiger,  possessed  of  an  evil 
spirit  though  it  be,  shall  lose  his  next  of  kin 
by  another  tiger  appearing  suddenly  in  the 
role  of  avenger?" 

"Yes,  it  is  true." 

"Oomah  has  no  next  of  kin.  He  is  alone 
in  the  world.  He  has  neither  father,  mother, 
sister,  brother,  wife  nor  child.  Therefore  the 
spirit  of  vengeance  will  be  cheated  for  there  is 
no  one  to  slay.  There  is  no  other  man  in  the 
tribe  without  family  upon  which  revenge 
could  fall." 

"As  I  said  before,"  Yaro  admitted,  "Choflo 
knows  all  things.  He  speaks  truly  and  wise- 
ly." Then  turning,  he  muttered  to  himself, 
"But  he  is  determined  to  be  rid  of  Oomah  so 
that  Wana,  son  of  his  sister  may  become 
leader  of  the  people." 

"The  magic  arrow  shall   be  prepared   at 


192        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

once,  for  only  by  it  can  the  Black  Phantom 
be  slain;  heed  well  my  words,  Oomah,  and 
use  no  other.  You  will  depart  at  nightfall. 
A  long  trail  and  a  hard  one  lies  before  you 
with  death  waiting  at  the  end  for  the  loser." 
All  through  the  day  Oomah  moved  as  in 
a  trance.  The  enormity  of  the  undertaking 
dazed  him.  Not  that  he  feared  the  jungle  or 
the  hardships  of  long  wandering,  for  to 
pursue  and  to  slay  the  beasts  of  the  wilderness 
was  a  part  of  his  life.  But,  this  was  a  mission 
of  a  different  character.  The  very  existence 
of  the  whole  tribe  depended  on  him;  and 
more  than  that.  If  he  failed,  the  whole 
earth,  as  he  knew  it,  would  be  laid  waste; 
Tumwah  would  never  stop  his  fiery  onslaught 
until  the  Black  Phantom  had  been  slain. 
Had  not  Choflo,  who  knew  all  things,  said  so? 
Still,  he  could  not  but  feel  that  the  sorcerer 
had  been  at  least  to  some  extent  influenced  by 
personal  motives  in  interpreting  the  wishes  of 
the  Great  Spirit.  Did  Choflo  hope  that  the 
quarry  would  kill  him,  or  at  least  elude  him? 
In  either  event  he  would  be  out  of  the  way. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         193 

The  whole  thing  seemed  very  mysterious  but 
he  had  no  alternative  but  to  obey. 

Oomah  was  young,  tall  and  strong.  As  he 
walkd  there  was  the  rippling  play  of  well- 
formd  meesscle  under  his  brown  skin.  His 
black  eyes,  set  at  a  slight  angle  somewhat 
like  an  Odriental's,  glowed  with  the  fire  of 
determination  from  under  the  heavy  shock  of 
hair  that  covered  his  head. 

The  women  peeped  out  of  the  doorways  as 
he  passed,  with  looks  akin  to  veneration. 
Liked  by  all,  the  sacred  mission  on  which  he 
was  about  to  depart  enhanced  the  esteem  in 
which  he  had  been  held.  And  while  their 
eyes  were  filled  with  admiration,  their  hearts 
were  full  of  pity  and  sadness.  For,  with  the 
coming  of  night  Oomah  would  pass  from 
among  them  like  the  fading  of  a  shadow  when 
the  sun  sets. 

Preparations  were  at  once  started  for  the 
parting  feast.  Hunters  had  gone  in  quest  of 
game.  The  women  ground  yuca  roots  for 
fresh  cassava  bread.  And  the  children,  with 
tear-stained  faces,  gathered  wood  that  had 


194        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

been  stranded  along  the  edge  of  the  sandbar. 
But  the  youth  wandered  about  listlessly, 
barely  conscious  of  the  activities  that  were 
going  on  all  around  him. 

Choflo  had  gone  to  the  forest  early  in  the 
forenoon.  At  mid-day  he  returned,  carrying 
a  bundle  of  slender  stems  in  his  hand.  Look- 
ing neither  to  right  nor  to  left,  he  entered  his 
hut  and  drew  a  curtain  woven  of  rushes 
across  the  doorway  so  that  none  might  behold 
him  plying  his  sacred  calling. 

Safe  in  the  seclusion  of  his  abode,  he  dug  a 
hole  in  the  sandy  floor  and  buried  the  stems 
he  had  brought  so  ostentatiously  from  the 
forest;  then  he  took  down  a  bundle  of  arrows 
from  under  the  thatched  roof  and  selected  one 
after  a  good  deal  of  scrutiny  of  the  lot.  It 
was  long — six  feet  or  more,  with  a  slender, 
reed  shaft  and  a  needle-like  point  of  tough 
palmwood  fitted  and  glued  into  the  stem. 
A  short  thorn,  fastened  to  the  point  with  fine 
twine  formed  a  barb  so  that  the  arrow  could 
not  be  withdrawn  once  it  had  entered  the 
flesh.""  On  each  side  of  the  base  was  a  split 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         195 

eagle's  feather  attached  with  colored  thread. 
The  feathers  were  not  fastened  in  a  line 
parallel  with  the  shaft,  but  curved  slightly; 
this  gave  the  arrow  a  rotary  motion  in  flight 
like  that  imparted  to  the  bullet  by  a  rifled 
gun  barrel  and  made  for  accuracy  in  shooting. 
He  now  took  a  lump  of  resinous  gum  from  his 
charmbag  and  rubbed  it  on  the  point  of  the 
arrow  until  the  latter  was  covered  with  a 
thick,  black  coat,  resembling  old  beeswax. 
A  cap  of  a  joint  of  slender  bamboo  was  fitted 
over  the  end  of  the  missile  to  prevent  the 
rain  from  washing  away  the  supposed  poison, 
and  it  was  ready  to  be  delivered  to  Oomah. 

Choflo  had  been  guilty  of  treachery  of  the 
vilest  kind.  Instead  of  the  deadly  pua  poison 
contained  in  the  stems  of  the  creepers  he  had 
brought  from  the  forest  he  had  used  the  harm- 
less gum  which  so  closely  resembled  it  that  the 
eye  could  not  distinguish  between  them. 

Oomah  started  on  his  perilous  mission  that 
night,  after  the  feast  had  been  eaten  and  all 
the  members  of  the  tribe  had  bade  him  a 
solemn  farewell. 


196        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

It  was  a  silent  group  that  watched  him 
depart,  for  they  felt  that  he  would  not  return; 
and  in  their  grief  they  entirely  forgot  Choflo's 
dire  predictions  for  themselves  in  the  event 
that  Oomah  was  unsuccessful  in  his  quest.  In 
their  hearts  they  rebelled  at  the  dictum  of 
their  leader  but  the  long  habit  of  obedience 
caused  them  -  to  suppress  their  resentment. 
So  they  merely  looked  sad  and  said  nothing. 

"Now  go,"  Choflo  said,  ceremoniously  pre- 
senting the  magic  arrow,  "and  return  when 
you  have  slain  the  Black  Phantom.  Bring 
back  the  ears,  the  claws  and  the  tail  so  that 
we  may  have  the  proof.  And  do  not  return 
until  your  mission  has  been  fulfilled." 

Oomah  gathered  up  his  bow,  a  pack  of 
arrows  of  various  types  to  use  in  procuring 
game,  and  a  small  bag  of  food,  and  without 
a  word  vanished  into  the  night.  The  last 
thing  the  watchers  saw  was  the  tuft  of  white 
feathers  which  had  been  inserted  in  his 
head-band. 

The  youth  did  not  go  far.  Entering  the 
edge  of  the  forest  flanking  the  sandbar, 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         197 

country  of  which  he  knew  each  square  foot,  he 
went  straight  to  a  giant  ceiba  tree  and  took  up 
his  station  between  two  of  the  buttressed  roots 
to  await  the  coming  of  daylight.  And  while 
the  long  hours  of  darkness  dragged  their  way 
into  eternity  Oomah  laid  his  plan  of  action. 

The  first  thing  he  did  after  the  sun  appeared 
was  to  examine  minutely  the  arrow  prepared 
by  Choflo.  Certain  words  whispered  into  his 
ear  by  old  Yaro  had  had  the  effect  of  making 
him  cautious.  Besides,  there  were  his  own 
suspicions  to  verify  or  to  disprove. 

The  subject  for  a  test  was  not  hard  to  find 
in  the  form  of  a  spiny  rat  that  he  dug  out  of 
a  decayed  stump  and  holding  the  rodent  in 
one  hand  he  pricked  the  tender  skin  with  the 
point  of  the  arrow.  The  rat  struggled  and 
squeaked,  but  when  he  released  it  a  few 
minutes  later  it  scurried  to  cover.  ChofiVs 
treachery  had  been  proven. 

Oomah  replaced  the  missile  in  his  pack  and 
started  up  the  river.  Two  hours  later  he 
halted,  started  a  fire  by  rubbing  together  two 
dry  sticks  and  placed  a  forest  partridge  which 


198        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

he  had  shot  on  the  way,  to  roast.  While  the 
meat  sputtered  on  the  spit  he  collected  the 
slender  stems  of  the  same  species  of  creeper 
that  Choflo  had  gathered  and  buried  in  the 
floor  of  his  shelter,  and  prepared  the  poison 
of  whose  deadliness  there  was  no  question. 

The  process  was  a  simple  one.  First  the 
stems  were  crushed  to  a  pulp  between  stones 
and  the  juice  pressed  out  into  a  small  bowl 
taken  from  his  food-bag.  The  container  was 
placed  over  the  fire;  when  it  had  boiled  half 
an  hour  its  contents  had  been  reduced  to  a 
thick,  black  liquid  which  was  ready  for  use. 
The  point  of  the  arrow  was  dipped  into  the 
concoction  and  revolved  until  it  was  covered 
with  a  uniform,  heavy  coating.  There  was 
now  no  doubt  as  to  the  efficacy  of  the  missile. 

Day  after  day  Oomah  roamed  the  forest  and 
the  sandbars  for  some  sign  of  his  quarry,  but 
there  was  not  the  slightest  trace  to  be  found. 
Either  the  Black  Phantom  had  departed  to 
some  distant  place  or  had  vanished  from  the 
earth.  At  night  he  squatted  with  his  back 
to  some  giant  tree- trunk  and  a  blazing  fire 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         199 

before  him;  and  between  naps  he  listened  for 
the  roars  that  never  came. 

Food  had  been  plentiful  but  was  constantly 
becoming  more  difficult  to  procure.  The 
turtles  had  finished  their  laying  and  had 
returned  to  the  water;  their  eggs,  buried  in 
the  hot  sand,  were  now  unfit  to  eat.  However, 
there  was  still  an  occasional  partridge,  a 
monkey  or  a  turkey-like  curassow  and  when 
one  of  them  was  secured  Oomah  ate  sparingly 
so  that  the  meat  lasted  several  days. 

After  a  while  the  long  and  fruitless  tramps 
and  the  nightly  vigils  began  to  show  their 
effects  on  the  youth.  His  stolid  nature  gave 
way  to  a  restlessness  that  caused  him  to  start 
in  his  slumber,  and  to  stop  suddenly  in  his 
tracks  to  listen  for  sounds  that  never  came. 
At  first  he  could  not  understand  the  new 
feeling.  And  then  the  truth  came  upon  him 
in  a  flash.  Unheard  feet  were  treading  in  his 
own  footsteps;  unseen  eyes  were  watching  his 
every  movement.  He  was  being  followed  and 
observed  by  an  invisible  enemy. 

Oomah   was   sure  of  it,   so   sure   that   he 


200        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

swerved  out  of  the  forest  and  walked  along 
the  edge  of  the  bar  where  the  sand  was  softest 
and  after  he  had  gone  a  distance  of  fifty 
paces  returned  to  the  forest.  He  continued 
along  in  the  deep  shadows  apparently  with- 
out concern  for  the  greater  part  of  an  hour. 
Then  he  turned  and  retraced  his  steps.  On 
the  sand-bar  he  found  the  confirming  evidence. 
Huge  feet  had  left  their  imprints  besides  those 
of  his  own.  Some  monstrous  creature  had 
dogged  his  every  step,  was  doubtless  even 
now  watching  him  from  a  place  of  concealment 
in  the  dense  cover.  And  of  the  identity  of 
that  creature  there  was  little  question.  It 
could  be  none  other  than  the  Black  Phantom. 

A  thrill  came  over  Oomah — not  of  fear  but 
of  the  anticipation  of  success.  He  had  at  last 
found  his  quarry  and  would  lay  a  neat  trap 
that  the  shadowy  one  would  all  unsuspect- 
ingly enter.  His  victory  was  assured. 

The  youth  entered  the  forest  and  continued 
on  his  way.  He  walked  mile  after  mile  with- 
out turning  to  look  back  and  then  gradually 
altered  his  course  so  that  it  took  him  to  the 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         201 

river.  Emerging  from  the  wall  of  trees  he 
made  a  wide  semi-circle  in  the  sand  and  re- 
turned to  the  heavy  growth.  But  now  he  did 
not  continue  his  journey;  instead,  he  hurried 
back,  keeping  just  inside  the  fringe  of  trees 
until  he  reached  a  point  halfway  between  the 
tips  of  the  semi-circle.  He  now  crept  to  the 
very  border  of  the  jungle  where,  though 
hidden  from  view  he  could  nevertheless  have 
a  clear  sweep  of  his  trail  across  the  sand. 

Oomah  carefully  removed  the  protecting 
cap  from  the  poisoned  arrow  and  grasped  the 
missile  in  his  right  hand  while  in  his  left  he 
held  the  bow,  ready  for  instant  use,  and 
awaited  the  appearance  of  the  Black  Phantom. 
He  was  trembling  with  emotion,  for  the  great 
moment  had  arrived. 

But  the  black  form  that  he  so  confidently 
expected  did  not  appear.  The  hours  slipped 
by  and  just  as  darkness  spread  its  pall  over 
river  and  jungle  alike  a  thunderous  roar 
burst  upon  the  still  air  from  nearby.  The 
hunter  turned  quickly  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  sound  came  and  his  eyes  sought  to 


202        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

penetrate  the  undergrowth;  but  while  he  gazed 
at  the  mass  of  stems  and  leaves  the  roar  was 
repeated  in  back  of  him,  exactly  opposite  to 
the  direction  from  which  it  had  come  at  first. 

Oomah,  reared  in  the  wilderness  though  he 
had  been  and  knowing  the  traits  of  most  wild 
things,  for  once  knew  not  what  to  do;  it  was 
clear  that  the  pursued  had  divined  his  plan, 
had  sensed  his  trap,  and  was  openly  defying 
him.  Would  he  charge  next  in  an  overwhelm- 
ing rush  too  swift  to  be  stopped  by  the  arrow's 
venomous  thrust?  Or  wait  until  the  darkest 
hour  of  night  for  a  silent  stalk  and  lightning 
spring!  The  latter  seemed  more  probable  so 
Oomah  lost  no  time  in  seeking  the  protection 
of  a  great  tree-trunk  to  forestall  attack  from 
the  rear,  and  in  building  a  fire  to  ward  off  the 
onslaught  from  in  front.  Between  the  two, 
he  felt  reasonalby  secure. 

After  that  it  was  impossible  to  tell  which 
was  pursuer  and  which  was  pursued.  If  the 
man  turned  back  on  his  trail  he  always  found 
evidences  that  the  crafty  foe  had  been  shadow- 
ing his  every  move.  And  the  roars  that 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         203 

reverberated  through  the  forest  both  by 
day  and  by  night  reminded  him  of  the 
proximity  of  the  elusive  one.  When  the 
rumbling  voice  was  hushed  for  any  length  of 
time  Oomah  knew  that  the  Black  Phantom 
was  on  the  hunt  for  food,  or  was  out  to  slay, 
and  redoubled  his  vigilance.  Like  his  brethren 
of  the  more  earthy,  spotted  color,  the  black 
monster  never  roared  while  in  quest  of  victims. 
To  do  so  would  be  extremely  foolish  for  it 
would  apprise  the  prey  of  his  whereabouts  and 
would  give  them  time  to  escape  to  the 
security  of  their  hiding-places.  So  the  youth 
was  on  his  guard  during  the  periods  of  silence 
and  slept  when  the  roars  were  most  frequent, 
for  then  the  danger  was  least. 

With  the  passing  days  the  drought  grew 
more  terrible.  If  Choflo's  words  were  true, 
and  Oomah  was  to  save  the  earth  by  slaying 
the  Black  Phantom,  he  must  act  soon  or 
Tumwah's  work  would  be  too  far  advanced 
for  remedy.  He  could  do  no  more  than  he 
was  doing.  Yaro  had  even  hinted,  in  furtive 
whispers,  that  the  combat  between  the  Phan- 


204        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

torn  and  the  God  of  Drought  was  a  fabrication 
of  Choflo's  mind,  simply  another  explanation 
of  something  the  sorcerer  did  not  understand 
added  to  the  several  he  had  already  given. 
Still,  he  did  not  know  whose  words  were  to 
be  heeded;  and  added  to  his  doubt  was  the 
lack  of  understanding  of  why  the  Black  Phan- 
tom did  not  attack  him.  It  seemed  always  to 
be  following  him  in  accordance  with  some 
mysterious  design,  or  to  be  luring  him  onward 
like  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  further  and  further 
into  a  strange  and  more  hostile  wilderness. 

The  youth's  disturbed  state  of  mind,  coupled 
with  the  meager  amount  of  food  now  obtain- 
able and  the  fatigue  of  the  long  tramps  so 
undermined  his  strength  that  he  fell  an  easy 
victim  to  the  dread  fever  to  which,  in  his 
normal,  robust  condition  he  was  immune. 

With  throbbing  head  and  blurred  eyes  he 
moved  painfully  through  the  forest  and  over 
the  sandy  riverbank.  On  those  rare  occasions 
when  he  saw  game  his  arms  trembled  so 
violently  as  he  drew  the  bow  that  the  arrow 
went  wide  and  fell  far  short  of  the  mark. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         205 

Choflo  had  guessed  well.  He  was  sure  that 
the  Black  Phantom  would  prove  too  elusive  or 
too  savage  for  any  human  pursuer,  and  that 
he  should  never  see  Oomah  again.  In  both 
things  he  was  right.  Oomah  was  destined  to 
be  robbed  of  his  prize  and  the  sorcerer  had 
beheld  the  youth  for  the  last  time.  But 
despite  these  facts,  the  designing  purveyor  of 
magic  had  been  also  totally  mistaken  in  his 
calculations.  For,  while  both  of  his  hopes 
were  realized  they,  at  the  same  time,  strange 
as  it  may  seem,  were  doomed  to  failure. 

The  terrible  fever  fast  gained  on  the 
unfortunate  hunter,  racking  his  body  and 
adding  physical  torture  to  his  mental  anguish. 
Still  he  struggled  to  overcome  the  insur- 
mountable obstacles  in  his  way.  But,  while 
a  firm  resolve  may  do  many  things  there  is 
also  a  limit  to  all  things,  and  there  came  a 
day  when  Oomah  could  go  no  further.  He 
had  already  wandered  far  from  the  country 
so  well  known  to  him.  Around  him  grew 
castanha  trees  with  nuts  in  shells  like  cannon- 
balls  that  hung  high  over  his  head;  palms  with 


206        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

leaves  so  enormous  that  one  could  shelter  an 
entire  encampment;  and  birds  of  species  he 
had  never  seen  before  fluttered  among  the 
branches.  The  air  was  saturated  with  the 
heavy  though  not  unpleasant  odor  of  vanilla 
beans.  It  was  indeed  a  strange  land  but 
Oomah  was  too  ill  to  take  much  heed  of  his 
surroundings. 

At  noon  he  could  go  no  further.  The 
ground  seemed  to  rise  toward  his  flushed  face 
and  then  smote  him  such  a  blow  that  all  grew 
black  before  his  eyes. 

When  he  awoke  the  screeching  of  the  cicadas 
warned  him  that  the  day's  end  was  at  hand. 
The  fever  had  relented  and  he  felt  somewhat 
refreshed.  His  first  thought  was  of  fire. 
Dry  wood  was  not  hard  to  find  in  the  crack- 
ling forest  and  a  few  deft  twirls  of  the  fire- 
sticks  produced  the  spark  needed  to  set  a 
handful  of  dry  leaves  aflame.  Food  there 
was  none  so,  with  his  back  to  the  thick  butt 
of  a  castanha  tree  and  the  blaze  in  front 
Oomah  silently  and  gravely  awaited  the 
coming  of  night. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         207 

Hours  passed.  The  moon  had  disappeared 
and  the  glimmer  of  the  stars  did  not  penetrate 
the  canopy  of  foliage  overhead.  Even  the 
goatsuckers,  queer  birds  that  looked  like 
giant  whip-poor-wills,  had  ceased  their  wails 
and  in  the  jungle  reigned  the  darkest  hours  of 
night. 

Oomah  awoke  with  a  start,  as  if  in  response 
to  the  prod  of  a  rude  hand,  and  shivered. 
The  blaze  had  died  to  a  mere  flickering  tongue 
of  flame  that  leapt  now  and  then  from  the  bed 
of  coals.  Over  the  youth  came  that  name- 
less feeling  that  bespoke  the  proximity 
of  some  living  thing;  seeing  nothing,  he 
nevertheless  felt  that  hidden  eyes  were 
boring  him  through.  Minutes  dragged  by; 
the  suspense  was  frightful  but  his  knowledge 
of  the  wilderness  bade  him  feign  sleep  and  he 
moved  not  a  muscle.  Then,  with  a  sudden- 
ness that  was  appalling,  the  einsan  cackle  of 
a  wood  rail  shattered  the  silence  with  its 
demoniacal  cries.  The  sound,  enough  to  drive 
the  uninitiated  into  a  frenzy  caused  even 
Oomah  to  turn  his  head  toward  the  direction 


208        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

from  which  it  had  come,  and  what  he  saw 
were  two  points  of  greenish  fire  glaring  at  him 
out  of  the  blackness  not  ten  paces  away. 

Terror  lent  strength  to  the  faltering  arms. 
The  protecting  cap  was  dashed  from  the 
poisoned  arrow  and  the  notched  base  of  the 
shaft  flew  to  its  position  in  the  string.  There 
was  the  twang  of  the  bow  and  the  deadly 
missile  whined  through  the  air.  A  hoarse 
scream  rang  out;  the  points  of  greenish  fire 
were  gone;  a  heavy  body  tore  its  way  through 
the  undergrowth.  Then  all  was  still  again. 

That  effort  had  cost  Oomah  his  last  particle 
of  strength.  He  shuddered,  swayed,  and 
clapping  his  hands  over  his  eyes  as  if  to  shut 

out  a  frightful  dream,  sank  to  the  ground. 
********* 

Nechi,  on  her  way  to  the  fish-traps  in  the 
river  found  the  unconscious  youth  when  the 
sun  was  two  hours  high  in  the  heavens  and 
claimed  him  for  her  own  by  right  of  discovery. 
In  other  words,  to  the  captor  belonged  the 
choicer  tidbits  when  the  captive  should  be 
restored  to  fit  condition  for  eating. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         209 

As  she  exultantly  viewed  the  prostrate  form 
a  pang  of  fear  shot  through  her  heart.  What 
if  he  should  be  dead  ?  She  would  be  cheated 
out  of  the  delicacies  and  also  the  laurels  to 
which  the  victor  was  always  entitled.  In 
haste  she  knelt  by  his  side  and  placed  one 
hand  over  his  heart;  it  was  fluttering  weakly. 
She  rushed  to  the  river  and  brought  water  in 
a  folded  plantain  leaf  and  dashed  it  into  his 
face.  After  that  she  pried  open  his  eyelids 
with  her  fingers. 

Oomah  regained  his  senses  with  a  start  and 
his  eyes  met  the  grimaces  of  the  delighted 
Nechi. 

" Sabana  is  not  dead!"  she  exclaimed. 

"No,  the  stranger  is  not  dead — not  quite 
dead." 

''You  are  mine.  I  will  take  you  to  the 
village;  it  is  less  than  half  a  rest  away.  I 
will  feed  you  and  cure  you  of  the  fever. 
You  are  mine." 

Oomah  looked  again  at  his  discoverer, 
and  closed  his  eyes. 

"I  know  you,"  he  said  feebly.     "You  are 


210        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

of  the  Patocos  who  have  eaten  many  of  my 

i    »» 
people. 

"Yes,  I  am  of  the  Patocos  and  we  have 
eaten  many  of  the  Cantanas.  When  you 
are  well  and  fat  again  we  will  eat  you  too." 

The  youth  showed  no  emotion.  What 
mattered  it  if  the  girl  should  make  good  her 
threat,  now  that  his  mission  had  failed? 

"I  will  take  you  to  the  village"  Nechi 
repeated.  She  left  the  baskets  she  had  been 
carrying  on  the  ground  and  picking  up  the 
youth  threw  him  over  her  back.  Accustomed 
as  she  was  to  carrying  heavy  burdens,  the 
weight  was  not  too  great  for  her  strength. 
A  half  hour  later  she  reached  the  village,  a 
collection  of  dilapidated  shelters  nestling 
under  the  protection  of  the  giant  palm  trees. 

The  arrival  of  the  girl  with  her  find  created 
great  excitement.  The  men  rushed  up  with 
spears  and  clubs  ready  to  deliver  the  death- 
blow but  the  girl  was  not  inclined  to  give  up 
her  prisoner  so  easily. 

"He  is  mine,"  she  protested;  "I  found  him. 
You  shall  not  take  him  from  me.  I  will  feed 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         211 

him  and  give  him  chinca  bark  to  cure  his 
fever  and  when  he  is  well  again  and  fat — " 

"No!  No!  We  must  not  wait.  The 
prisoner  might  die  and  then  we  should  be 
cheated  out  of  our  feast." 

Nechi  had  not  thought  of  that. 

"Tomorrow"  she  relented.  "If  he  shows 
no  signs  of  improvement  by  tomorrow  you 
can  prepare  for  the  feast." 

Oomah  opened  his  eyes. 

"I  came  on  a  sacred  mission,"  he  faltered. 
"Get  me  the  white  feather  so  that  I  may  die 
like  a  hunter  who  has  not  given  up  the 
chase.  With  the  white  feather  in  my  hair  I 
can  take  up  the  trail  of  the  Black  Phantom 
in  the  other  world." 

The  group  that  surrounded  him  hushed  their 
chatter. 

"Where  is  the  white  feather?"  asked  one 
of  the  older  men  who  seemed  to  be  in  authority. 

"There  where  the  woman  found  me.  It 
must  be  there  for  I  had  it  when  sleep  over- 
came me." 

One  of  the  young  men  was  sent  immediately 


212        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

to  fetch  the  emblem  while  the  girl  prepared 
food  which  Oomah  ate  with  ravenous  appetite. 
Presently  the  runner  returned;  in  his  hand 
was  the  tuft  of  plumes,  now  soiled  and  frayed 
from  hard  usage. 

The  sight  of  the  sacred  object  had  a  telling 
effect,  for  among  the  savages  of  the  Upper 
Amazon  it  was  the  one  inter- tribal  flag  of 
truce  likely  to  be  respected,  provided  the 
bearer  of  it  could  prove  his  right  to  its  posses- 
sion. They  stared  in  silence  at  the  feverish 
youth  as,  with  great  effort  he  told  them  the 
story  of  the  Black  Phantom  and  of  the  heart- 
breaking weeks  he  had  spent  in  pursuit  of 
the  elusive  quarry. 

"I  shot  the  magic  arrow  into  the  night 
where  the  points  of  green  fire  burned,  and  I 
know  no  more.  Perhaps  it  was  only  a  dream 
or  a  vision,  for  my  head  was  throbbing  with 
fever;  I  do  not  know!  I  do  not  know!" 
he  ended  wearily  and  sadly.  "Therefore 
I  am  an  outcast  among  my  people;  I  cannot 
return  to  them.  I  have  no  proof  that  the 
Black  Phantom  is  dead  or  that  I  did  not  fire 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         213 

the  arrow  at  some  picture  of  my  reeling 
brain." 

The  leader  of  the  Patocos  turned  to  some  of 
his  young  hunters. 

"  Go !  Search  the  forest  and  the  riverbank," 
he  commanded.  "Let  nothing  escape  your 
eyes.  The  words  of  this  youth  are  queer. 
How  do  we  know  that  he  speaks  the  truth? 
If  there  was  a  phantom  the  magic  arrow  could 
not  fail  to  strike  it  dead.  And  when  you 
find  it  bring  back  the  evidence  of  your  eyes  so 
that  the  name  of  this  man  may  be  honored; 
but  if  you  find  nothing  we  shall  know  that 
he  lied  and  he  shall  pay  the  penalty  without 
delay." 

Not  long  after,  the  hunters  filed  into  the 
forest  and  Oomah  watched  them  go  with 
yearning  eyes.  A  whole  week  passed  before 
the  hunting  party  returned.  But  their  hands 
were  empty;  they  bore  no  evidence  that  their 

mission  had  been  successful. 
********* 

As  for  Warruk,  the  Jaguar,  he  had  consid- 
ered his  score  with  Mata  settled.  She  had 


214        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

been  punished  for  the  injury  she  had  inflicted 
on  him.  But  the  others;  they  had  hurled 
flaming  brands  at  him  and  had  wounded  him 
with  spears.  The  day  would  surely  come 
when  they  too  should  pay. 

As  he  lingered  in  the  heavy  growth  bordering 
the  riverbank  he  became  aware  of  the  fact 
that  one  of  the  man-creatures  was  roving  in 
the  forest,  detached  from  the  group  on  the 
sandbar,  and  he  straightway  began  to  follow 
and  to  watch  his  actions,  being  careful,  how- 
ever, always  to  remain  in  the  dense  cover  where 
he  could  not  be  seen.  By  following  and  by 
watching  he  could  learn  many  things  that 
would  be  of  value  in  dealing  with  these  new 
enemies  when  the  proper  time  arrived. 

The  game  continued  day  after  day.  It 
was  only  when  the  man  laid  a  trap  for  him 
by  making  a  wide  detour  on  the  sandbar  that 
Warruk  discovered  that  it  was  he  who  was 
being  sought  by  the  lone  wanderer.  After 
that  he  was  more  cautious  than  before. 
He  followed  the  scent  only  when  it  was 
several  hours  old.  But  at  night,  when  his 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         215 

pursuer  was  asleep,  he  stole  up  noiselessly 
to  look  upon  him  and  to  ponder,  for  the 
blazing  fire  prevented  an  attack;  he  had  not 
forgotten  the  stinging  brands  with  which 
he  had  been  showered  not  so  long  before. 

There  came  the  night,  however,  when  the 
fire  died  down.  The  opportunity  had  arrived 
and  he  crept  up  for  the  fatal  spring. 

It  was  then  that  Oomah,  awakened  by  the 
hideous  cackle  of  the  wood  rail,  saw  the 
blazing  eyes.  And  before  the  Jaguar  had  time 
to  realize  that  the  man-creature  had  been 
aroused  from  his  slumber,  he  heard  a  sharp 
twang  and  a  fiery  pain  darted  through  his 
shoulder  taking  him  so  completely  by  sur- 
prise that  he  turned  and  fled  with  a  scream  of 
terror.  Truly,  this  new  enemy  was  beyond 
all  understanding.  His  deadly  sting  reached 
out  far,  even  into  the  blackness  of  night. 
Against  it  he,  the  king  of  the  untrodden 
wilderness,  could  not  hope  to  contend. 

As  he  rushed  madly  through  the  under- 
growth the  pain  in  his  shoulder  spread  rapidly 
and  a  heaviness  made  itself  felt  in  his  limbs. 


216        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

What  if  the  creature  hurling  shafts  of  fire 
that  could  wound  him  so  sorely  should  pursue? 
With  the  intense  agony  of  his  hurt,  and  the 
first  signs  of  a  coming  numbness,  he  could  not 
hope  to  give  battle  or  even  to  escape  further 
injury.  No!  At  least  not  until  he  had  had 
time  to  recover  from  the  surprise  and  the 
confusion  of  the  onslaught;  until  he  had 
quenched  his  burning  thirst,  and  until  the 
pain  had  subsided.  Then  he  would  even 
up  the  score.  No  more  watching,  no  more 
stalking!  Hereafter,  the  mere  sight  of  man 
would  be  the  signal  for  his  own  destruction. 

Warruk  reached  the  river's  edge  near  the 
rapids  where  the  water  rushed  with  a  seething 
fury  through  a  narrow  channel  between  the 
sandy  banks.  In  the  center  of  the  roaring 
flood  was  a  rock,  his  rock,  where  many  an 
hour  had  been  spent  basking  in  the  hot  sun- 
shine. It  was  his  only  abode,  his  one  place  of 
safety  and  to  it  he  would  go. 

Without  hesitation  he  plunged  into  the 
maelstrom.  The  rushing  water  swept  him 
back,  again  and  again,  but  each  time  the 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         217 

struggle  was  renewed  with  increased  deter- 
mination; and  each  effort  carried  him  a  few 
yards  nearer  the  goal.  Just  as  it  seemed  the 
coveted  spot  had  been  attained,  the  breakers 
sought  with  increased  fury  to  drag  him 
down;  but  he  fought  back,  inch  by  inch,  and 
at  last  one  massive  foot  touched  the  rough 
surface  of  the  stronghold. 

With  a  frantic  tenacity  that  sapped  the 
last  vestige  of  his  fast  vanishing  strength 
he  dragged  his  weary  body  onto  the  rock 
and  lay  down,  cushioning  his  great  head 
upon  his  forepaws.  Tremor  after  tremor 
passed  over  him,  but  they  were  not  from  the 
chill  of  the  night  nor  from  the  drenching  of 
the  water.  The  pain  had  gone  and  a  drowsi- 
ness had  taken  its  place.  Here,  where  he 
had  rested  before,  he  would  sleep  again. 
The  bright  stars  shimmered  overhead;  a 
gentle,  lulling  breeze  fanned  his  face;  below, 
the  water  roared  and  hissed  in  impotent 
rage  for  he  had  conquered  it  and  was  out  of 
its  reach. 

It  all  spoke  of  the  freedom  of  the  wilderness, 


and  of  the  joyousness  of  life.  Not  knowing 
death,  Warruk  did  not  fear  it.  But,  knowing 
sleep  as  a  reviver  of  spent  energy,  he  welcomed 
its  coming  to  relieve  the  heavy  numbness  that 
was  penetrating  to  his  very  bones.  It  came, 
swiftly;  the  deadly  poison  prepared  by  Oomah 
was  completing  its  ghastly  work,  was  inducing 
the  sleep;  but  not  the  normal,  restful  slumber 
that  comes  between  sunset  and  sunrise  but 
the  sleep  that  is  everlasting  and  without 

awakening. 
********* 

Agoo  reached  the  village  of  the  Patocos 
after  a  week's  rapid  journey  through  the 
forest.  He  had  been  sent  by  the  Cantanas  to 
look  for  Oomah.  The  twigs  snapped  from 
the  undergrowth  by  the  hunter  as  he  walked 
along  guided  him  unfailingly  to  the  last 
camping  site  and  from  there  a  beaten  trail 
led  to  the  village. 

And  Agoo  was  promptly  made  prisoner  by 
the  fierce  enemies  of  the  Cantanas.  There 
would  be  a  feast  indeed,  with  two  captives 
instead  of  one. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         219 

The  newcomer  also  carried  the  flag  of 
truce — the  tuft  of  white  feathers;  but  the 
emblem  would  be  of  no  avail  if  the  report  of 
the  hunters  would  be  unfavorable. 

"I  would  speak  to  my  tribesman,"  he  said, 
"here,  where  all  may  hear." 

They  brought  Oomah  and  formed  a  circle 
around  the  two. 

"I  am  the  bearer  of  a  message,"  the  new- 
comer greeted  the  emaciated  youth,  "from 
the  fathers  of  the  tribe." 

Oomah  grunted.  "Why  have  you  come  to 
add  to  my  suffering?  I  know  that  I  am  an 
outcast,  and  I  am  ready  to  die." 

"No!  You  must  come  back  with  me. 
Your  work  is  finished.  Your  reward  will  be 
great.  Choflo's  place  shall  be  yours.  That 
is  the  message  I  bear." 

Oomah  stared  blankly  at  the  speaker. 

"How  can  I  return  without  the  evidence? 
I  do  not  even  know  that  the  Black  Phantom 
is  dead.  And  besides,  we  are  both  captives," 
he  replied. 

"We  have  proof  that  the  sacred  mission 


220        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

has  been  fulfilled.  By  signs  that  cannot 
be  doubted  has  it  been  shown  that  the  spectre 
that  brought  desolation  to  the  earth  was  slain 
by  the  magic  arrow  just  seven  settings  of 
the  sun  past." 

"Seven  settings  of  the  sun  ago  the  arrow 
was  sent  on  its  flight  into  the  darkness;  but 
where  it  struck  I  cannot  tell." 

"On  that  night  Choflo,  who  sent  you  was 
slain  by  a  great,  spotted  she-tiger  which  burst 
into  his  shelter  and  fought  savagely  to  retain 
her  prize  even  when  assailed  with  spears 
and  firebrands  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
would  have  rescued  him.  The  monster  had 
battled  with  men  before,  and  knew  their 
ways,  for  one  ear  was  lacking,  lost  in  a  previous 
encounter.  The  law  has  been  fulfilled.  You 
have  no  next  of  kin  upon  which  vengeance 
could  fall  for  your  deed  in  slaying  the  Black 
Phantom;  therefore,  Choflo,  who  sent  you, 
paid  the  penalty." 

Agoo  did  not  know  it  but  it  was  Suma  who 
had  avenged  her  Warruk. 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         221 

"Speak,  Agoo,  are  these  tidings  true?" 
Oomah  asked. 

"There  is  even  more.  Scarcely  had  Choflo 
died  than  a  blanket  of  dark  clouds  rolled 
across  the  heavens  and  rain  fell  throughout 
the  night.  Tumwah  had  been  appeased. 
We  are  saved.  The  earth  is  saved.  And  you, 
Oomah,  shall  be  rewarded  and  honored  above 
all  men." 

The  Patocos  stood  about  in  a  spell-bound 
group. 

"  If  this  youth  speaks  truly,  why  has  not  the 
rain  fallen  here?"  one  asked.  "Our  yuca 
fields  are  parched  and  the  animals  of  the 
forest  are  disappearing.  Soon  we  will  die 
of  starvation." 

"I  have  spoken  the  truth,"  Agoo  persisted. 
Then,  pointing  to  the  sky  with  both  hands, 
he  begged  "Tumwah,  send  the  rain-clouds 
here  too.  They  do  not  believe  that  the 
Black  Phantom  has  been  slain.  Why,  see," 
he  exclaimed  suddenly,  pointing  to  the  East 
"even  now  the  sky  is  overcast  where  the 


222        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

sun  rises  and  soon  the  rain  will  fall  upon 
you.  Look,  Oomah!  They  can  ask  for 
no  other  proof.  Tumwah  has  come  to  save 
you." 

Just  then  shouts  from  the  forest  announced 
the  coming  of  the  hunters  and  before  long  the 
excited  youths  had  filed  into  the  village  and 
joined  the  circle. 

"Now  tell  us  what  you  found,"  the  head- 
man demanded.  "Let  your  voice  be  clear 
and  loud  so  that  all  may  hear  and  understand. 
Did  you  find  evidence  that  the  first  captive 
spoke  the  truth?  His  companion  too  says 
strange  things.  Either  the  one  is  a  great 
hunter  who  has  fulfilled  a  sacred  mission,  or 
both  are  spies  and  shall  be  dealt  with  before 
the  setting  of  another  sun." 

One  of  the  youths  who  had  just  returned 
stepped  into  the  circle. 

"These  many  days  we  searched  the  forest 
and  the  sandbars,  but  found  nothing,"  he 
said  impressively.  "So  we  returned." 

A  hush  had  fallen  upon  all.  Even  the 
women  and  children  peeping  out  of  the 


"Tumwah,  send  the  rain-clouds  here" 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         223 

palm-leaf  hovels  stopped  their  chatter  and 
looked  with  wide-open  eyes. 

"Build  the  fires!"  the  headman  ordered. 
"I  suspected  treachery  from  the  very  be- 
ginning." 

"Wait!"  the  hunter,  continued.  "This 
morning  as  we  rounded  the  bend  in  the 
river  where  the  banks  are  set  close  to- 
gether and  where  the  water  roars  and  boils 
in  its  haste  to  pass  the  terrible  place  so  it 
may  join  the  peaceful  stretches  below, 
Tupi's  sharp  eyes  saw  the  form  of  a  vulture 
in  the  sky.  We  watched  the  evil  bird  and 
soon  discovered  other  black  specks  circling 
above  the  gorge.  It  was  there  we  found  the 
proof,  on  a  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  raging 
water;  a  black  tiger  of  such  great  size  that 
it  could  be  none  other  than  the  Black  Phan- 
tom. The  broken  shaft  of  an  arrow  was  still 
in  its  shoulder.  We  could  not  swim  to  the 
rock;  no  creature  of  earth  could  conquer 
that  angry  flood.  But  there  it  is  so  that  all 
may  see  yet  none  may  reach  except  only  the 
loathsome  vultures." 


224        THE  BLACK  PHANTOM 

That  night  there  was  a  feast  in  the  Patocos* 
village.  Turtles  had  been  brought  from  the 
corrals  and  the  women  made  fresh  cassava 
bread.  And  long  into  the  night  the  sound  of 
the  celebration  rang  through  the  black  forest 
as  war  drums  boomed  and  the  voices  of  singers 
chanted  the  praises  of  the  mighty  hunter 
who  was  among  them. 

Not  until  the  sharp  report  of  thunder 
followed  by  a  drenching  rain  drove  the 
revellers  to  shelter  did  the  festivities  end. 

"Nechi  shall  go  with  me"  Oomah  said  the 
next  morning  as  he  prepared  to  depart. 
"Nechi,  who  found  me  dying  and  whose 
medicine  drove  away  the  fever.  And  send 
one  of  your  hunters  also  to  select  a  wife 
from  among  the  Cantanas.  It  is  my  wish  that 
there  be  blood  relationship  between  us.  Then 
there  will  be  peace  between  the  Patocos 
and  Cantanas.  No  more  righting,  no  more 
killing.  I  speak  as  headman  of  my  people." 

The  older  men  drew  together  for  a  serious 
discussion  that  ended  in  granting  Oomah's 
request,  and  Tupi  was  selected  to  go  back  to 


THE  WHITE  FEATHER         225 

the  encampment  on   the  sandbar  to   be  an 
honored  guest  and  to  select  a  wife. 

After  that  came  the  leave  taking;  then 
the  party  started  on  its  journey.  The  three 
men,  carrying  only  their  bows  and  arrows 
filed  into  the  forest  and  Nechi,  carrying  a 
heavy  basket  of  food  trotted  happily  after 
them. 

THE  END 


-om  thei 
^oofts  o/j 

— '• 


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